Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Mount Everest.
Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, is also one of the most famous. It’s known for its extreme height, but there are a lot of things you might not know about it. For instance, did you know that Mount Everest is actually a combination of three peaks? Or that it’s not the only mountain in the world that’s taller than 29,000 feet?
More than 60 years have passed since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay successfully summited Mount Everest for the first time. The desire has not diminished. We hear countless stories about victory or tragedies that have occurred as a result of trying to reach the top. But about this mountain, you may not know 10 things.
1. Mountain spider
Even at high altitudes, there is almost no air to breathe, and we still cannot avoid spiders. Euophrys omnisuperstes ("above all"), often referred to as the Himalayan jumping spider, hides in the corners and crevices of the slopes of Mount Everest, making it one of the tallest permanent residents on the planet. Climbers found them at an altitude of 6,700 meters (22,000 feet).
Small spiders feed on any stray insects that are blown over the mountain by strong winds. Except for a few birds, they are actually the only animals permanently at such high altitudes. In addition, some previously unnamed species were collected during the famous British Mount Everest expedition in 1924. This expedition was unfortunate and is now on display in the British Museum of Natural History.
2. Two climbs 21 times
Two Sherpa collaborations (Arp Sherpa and Phurba Tashi) maintained the joint record for most Everest climbs. Both successfully reached the summit 21 times. Purba has been on top of the world three times in 2007 alone. From 1990 to 2011, Apa successfully climbed the mountain almost every year.
Apa said that he had witnessed major changes in Mount Everest caused by global warming over the years. He talked about his concerns about melting snow and glaciers, exposing rocks, and making it difficult to climb. After losing his house in flood caused by melting glaciers, he also worried about the safety of the Sherpa. Apa is committed to climbing Mount Everest to raise awareness of climate change, yet
3. Fight at the highest point in the world
Climbing Mount Everest is not always as harmonious as you think. In 2013, climbers Ueli Steck, Simone Moro, and Jonathan Griffith had a heated argument with the Sherpa. They allegedly ignored the Sherpa's order to stop climbing.
The Sherpas accused the climbers of hindering their journey, causing an avalanche and hitting other Sherpas who were laying ropes down the mountain. The climbers denied the accusations, and the confrontation turned into violent conflict. The Sherpas punched and kicked and beat these people with stones. Moreau said that the angry Sherpa even threatened to kill him.
The battle's outcome may be worse, but the American climber Melissa Arnault warned the trio to flee to base camp, lest the others form a mob and stone them to death. After the incident, a Nepalese military officer was present when the two sides signed a peace agreement to resolve the dispute.
4. 450 million years of history
Although the Himalayas were formed 60 million years ago, the history of Mount Everest can actually be traced back farther. The limestone and sandstone rock at the top of this mountain was once part of the sedimentary layer below sea level 450 million years ago.
Over time, the rocks on the seafloor were pressed together and pushed up at a speed of up to 11 cm (4.5 inches), and a year later, they finally reached their current position. The upper layer of Mount Everest now contains marine fossils of marine life and shells that once occupied the early oceans.
Explorer Noel Odell first discovered fossils in the rocks of Mount Everest in 1924, proving that the mountain was once below sea level. In 1956, Swiss climbers and the American mountaineering team in 1963 brought back the first rock specimens of Mount EverEveres
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5. Controversial
How high is Mount Everest? It depends on which side of the border you are on. China has stated that the height of this mountain is 8,844 meters (29,016 feet), while Nepal is 8,848 meters (29,029 feet).
This is because China believes that mountains are measured purely by the height of the rock, excluding the snow at the highest point. Regardless of whether this is a better measure, the international community often snows when describing the height of mountain peaks worldwide.
The two countries reached an agreement in 2010 to set the official height at 8,848 meters
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6. Higher and higher
According to recent measurements, the Chinese and Nepalese may have a wrong view of the height of this mountain. A research team in 1994 found that Mount Everest continued to grow by about 4 mm (0.16 inches) each year. The Indian subcontinent was originally an independent continent. It collided with Asia and formed the Himalayas. The continental plates are still moving, pushing the mountains higher. In 1999, researchers from the American Millennium Expedition placed global positioning satellite equipment below the top of the mountain to measure growth. Their more accurate findings from modern technology caused the official height of Mount Everest to change to 8,850 meters (29,035 feet). At the same time, other tectonic activities actually consume the height of the mountain, but the overall movement seems to be upward.
7. Have multiple names
Although we call this mountain "Mount Qomolangma," Tibetans have used the ancient name "Qomolangma" (also known as "Qomolangma") to call this mountain for centuries.
Tibetan means "Goddess Mountain." But this is not its only other name. Nepalese call it "Sagarmatha," which means "forehead in the sky," so this mountain is now part of Nepal's "Sagarmatha National Park." When British surveyor Andrew Waugh failed to find a common local name, the mountain was named "Mount Everest."
After studying the surrounding map, he still couldn't make a decision. He named the mountain after Indian surveyor General George Everest. He was the first British team leader in surveying the Himalayas. Colonel Everest objected to this, but the British officially changed the mountain's name from "Fifteenth Peak" to "Mount Everest" in 1865.
8. Congestion
Although the cost of climbing Everest is thousands of dollars, more people are trying to reach the summit than ever before. In 2012, German climber Ralf Dujmovits took a shocking photo in which hundreds of climbers lined up to reach the summit. Due to the bad weather, Ralph decided to line up. Due to the bad weather, he decided to return to Shannan.
On May 19, 2012, climbers crowded at a landmark near the top of the mountain faced a two-hour wait. In just half a day, 234 people successfully climbed to the summit, but 4 people died, which aroused people's major concerns about the climbing process. In the same year, Nepalese experts added a new fixed rope to ease traffic congestion, and some even talked about installing permanent ladders.
9. The dirtiest mountain in the world
Countless photos have recorded the climbers' journey to the summit of Mount Everest, but we rarely see the images they left behind. Mount Everest is not only scattered with the bodies of climbers but also about 50 tons of garbage. There is more waste every season. The slopes are full of unattended oxygen cylinders, climbing equipment, and large amounts of human feces.
Since 2008, the "Ecological Everest Adventure" has been carried out on the mountain every year. So far, they have collected more than 13 tons of garbage. The Nepalese government has implemented new regulations since 2014, requiring climbers to carry 8 kilograms (18 pounds) of garbage every time they descend a mountain. Otherwise a deposit of US$4,000 will be deducted. "
Artists participating in the "Everest 8848 Art Project" turned 8 tons of trash such as tents and beer cans into 75 works. 65 porters carried rubbish during two spring expeditions, and the artist made them into sculptures to emphasize the rubbish problem on the mountain.
10. Not the highest mountain
Although Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth, the extinct volcano Mouna kea in Hawaii still holds the record for the highest peak in the world.
The summit of Mount Everest is higher in elevation, but this does not make it higher. Mauna Kea may only reach an altitude of 4,205 meters (13,796 feet) above sea level, but this volcano extends an incredible 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) underwater. Measured from the bottom of the seabed, its total height is 10,200 meters (33465 feet), nearly a mile higher than Mount Everest.
In fact, according to how you measure it, Mount Everest is neither the highest mountain nor the highest mountain. Chimborazo in Ecuador is only 6,267 meters (20,661 feet) above sea level, but it is the highest point in the center of the earth. This is because Chimborazo is located 1 degree south of the equator. The center of the earth rises, so the sea level in Ecuador is farther from the earth's center than the sea level in Nepal.
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