MOUNT EVEREST
Mount Everest is also known as Sagarmatha (Sanskrit and Nepali), Chomolungma (Tibetan), and Zhumulangma Feng (Chinese). It is the highest mountain on Earth above sea level, reaching 8,848 metres (29,029 feet) in elevation. It is located in the Himalayas mountain range, found on the border between Nepal and Tibet at 27°59′ N, 86°56′ E. Its summit is the fifth farthest from the centre of the Earth; as the Earth bulges at the equator, mountains such as Mt Chimborazo in Ecuador have summits that are farther away. The English name of Everest was given to the mountain in 1865, in honour of George Everest, who was a Welsh surveyor; beforehand it was known as Peak XV.
The first successful ascent to the summit of Mt Everest was achieved in 1953 by New Zealand beekeeper and mountaineer Edmund Hilary, along with Nepali sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Since then, thousands have successfully climbed to the summit though hundreds have also died in the attempt. Many dangers await potential climbers, including high winds, bad weather and altitude sickness. The snow level on the mountain is highest in September and lowest in May.
The Himalayan ranges were upthrust as a result of the Indian-Australian Plate subducting under the Eurasian Plate. The two plates began colliding 50 million years ago and the Himalayas began rising around 25 to 30 million years ago. The Great Himalayas themselves began to form their current shape during the Pleistocene (~2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). GPS suggest Mt Everest itself moves a few centimetres to the northeast, and rises a fraction of that amount each year.
The mountain comprises several layers of rocks folded back on themselves (nappes). Each formation on Everest is separated from the others by low-angle faults. Metamorphic schists and gneisses intruded by granites are found below 7,00m elevation. Between 7,000 and 8,600 m (23,000 and 28,200 ft) elevation beds of marble, phyllite and schist can be found. Around 8,600m elevation and above, Ordovician limestone is interbedded with dolomite and siltstone.
A species of jumping spider called Euophrys omnisuperstes has been found at elevations up to 6,700 metres (22,000 ft) on Mt Everest. A moss that grows at 6,480m (21,260 ft) has also been found on the mountain.
-TEL