Mount Everest (Chomolungma) is the highest mountain massif on planet Earth. It is part of the Himalayas Mountain Range, lying on the border between Nepal and China (Tibet). Its altitude is 8,848 m. At the base, it is composed of Precambrian gneiss and granite; above 7,000 m, it consists of Mesozoic crystalline limestone and schist. This mountain peak is shaped like a pyramid, of which the southern slope is steepest. Glaciers flow from all sides of the massif, ending at an altitude of about 5,000 m. Snow and névé are not retained on the southern slope and the edges of the pyramid, which are bare as a result. On May 29, 1953, the peak of Mt Everest was reached by members of the English expedition of John Hunt: the mountaineers Edmund Hillary (a New Zealander) and Tenzing (a Sherpa, one of the native peoples of Nepal). The summit itself consists of rock-hard snow, which is covered and surrounded by a layer of soft snow that fluctuates annually by some 5 to 7 ft (1.5 to 2 m). The Chinese call this mountain peak 'Chomolungma').
Geology
Mount Everest is composed of granite, at the base, and sedimentary (limestone and schist) and metamorphic rocks that have been faulted southward over continental crust composed of Archean granulites of the Indian Plate during the Tertiary collision (Cenozoic era) of the Indian plate against the Eurasian. Current interpretations argue that the Qomolangma and North Col formations consist of marine sediments that accumulated within the continental shelf of the northern passive continental margin of India before it collided with Asia. The Cenozoic collision of India with Asia subsequently deformed and metamorphosed these strata as it thrust them southward and upward. The Rongbuk Formation consists of a sequence of high-grade metamorphic and granitic rocks that were derived from the alteration of high-grade metasedimentary rocks. During the collision of the Indian with the Eurasian plate, these rocks were thrust downward and to the north as they were overridden by other strata; heated, metamorphosed, and partially melted at depths of over 15 to 20 km (9.3 to 12.4 miles) below sea level; and then forced upward to surface by thrusting towards the south between two major detachments.
Characteristics
Individual glaciers around Mount Everest are the Kangshung Glacier (east), Rongbuk (north and northwest), the Pumori (northwest), the Khumbu (west and south) and an enclosed valley of ice between Everest and the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge, whose highest peak is Lhotse (8,516 m). The mountain’s drainage pattern radiates to the south, west, north, and east. The glaciers melt into rivers flowing towards Tibet and Nepal. Precipitation falls as snow during the summer monsoons (May to September). Lack of oxygen, powerful winds, and extremely cold temperatures preclude the development of any plant or animal life on the upper slopes. At the summit of Mt. Everest, atmospheric pressure is only 30 percent that of sea level, so the climbers take in only 30 percent as much oxygen (and thus need to carry oxygen tanks). It is estimated that Mt Everest, along with the Himalayas, is rising by about 5 mm per year.
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| Above, a photograph of Mt Everest taken during the 1952 Swiss Expedition. |
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| The map of Asia shows the exact geographical location of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China. |
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| Aerial view of Mt Everest and nearby peaks as seen from the south. |
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| A color photo of Hillary and Tenzing taken during the ascend to the highest peak on Earth. |
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| A photo of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing taken on May 29, 1953. Notice the oxygen cylinders and masks. |