Why is Mount Everest so tall?
Dear student, you might have visited hill stations during your summer vacations and have loved the weather, the snow and tall mountains there but have you ever wondered which is the highest mountain in the world?
Don’t worry even if your answer is No, because today you are going to learn about it.
Contents
The Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth. Mount It is a part of the Himalaya mountain range which is located between Nepal and Tibet. It is 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) above the sea level which makes it the tallest point on Earth. In the nineteenth century, the mountain was named after George Everest, former Surveyor General of India. Its Tibetan name is Chomolungma, which means “Mother Goddess of the World.” And Nepali name is Sagarmatha, which means “Forehead of the sea”.
Formation of Mount Everest
Force is something very strong and when it acts along with the plate tectonics (plates present in the earth’s crust) results in the formation of huge structures. The Mount Everest was formed by a force which acted in the upward direction and was generated by the collision of Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. This force between the plates in the Earth’s crust caused the earth surface to crumple and form mountain like structure. This force is still working today and it pushes Everest’s height a few centimetres higher every year.
Researchers have estimated that the Mount Everest is about 50-60 million years old!
What makes it so tall?
After the formation of a mountain like structure, the air moves upward to the heights and cools down. Further it results in rainfall and snowfall through a process called condensation.
Also the climatic conditions there are different, the snow gets accumulated and forms a snowline.
The Mount Everest lies in the tropic due to which the glacial area is less and the snowline area is more.
And therefore this snowline formed by the accumulated snow is strong and rigid and cannot be easily eroded.
As we know change is constant therefore, there will be several changes in the geography of the Mount Everest due to natural reasons.
So, when are you planning to visit there!
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