🏔️Mount Everest Ascending: Scientists Discover Hidden Growth Engine🏔️

8 months ago
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🌟 **Breaking News:**
- A new study reveals that Mount Everest has grown an additional 15 to 50 meters due to erosion from the nearby Arun River.
- This erosion triggers isostatic rebound, causing the mountain to rise approximately 2 millimeters annually.

🌊 **Erosion and Uplift Mechanisms:**
- The Arun River, about 75 kilometers from Mount Everest, has carved a substantial gorge, leading to the loss of landmass.
- This loss causes the Earth’s crust to rise due to reduced surface mass, a process known as isostatic rebound.
- The study, published in Nature Geoscience, found that this process has increased Everest’s height by 15 to 50 meters over the past 89,000 years.

🏔️ **Everest’s Anomalous Elevation:**
- At 8,849 meters, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth and rises about 250 meters above the next tallest peak in the Himalayas.
- The anomalous height can be explained by the uplifting force caused by the erosion of the Arun River.

📈 **Ongoing Growth:**
- Researchers found that Mount Everest has grown by about 15 to 50 meters since the Arun River merged with the Kosi River network 89,000 years ago.
- The Arun River’s erosion continues to cause the mountain to rise by about 2 millimeters each year.

🌊 **Regional Impact:**
- The isostatic rebound affects neighboring peaks, including Lhotse and Makalu, boosting their heights by a similar amount as Everest.
- Makalu, located closest to the Arun River, experiences a slightly higher rate of uplift.

🌊 **River Dynamics and Drainage Piracy:**
- The study determined that the Arun River joined the Kosi River network about 89,000 years ago through drainage piracy.
- This increased the erosive power of the Kosi River, leading to more landscape erosion and a higher rate of uplift for the mountains.

📚 **Reference:**
- “Recent uplift of Chomolungma enhanced by river drainage piracy” by Dr. Xu Han et al., published in Nature Geoscience.
- DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01535-w

🎙️ **Join us** as we explore this fascinating discovery about Mount Everest’s growth. Learn how erosion and isostatic rebound are causing the world’s tallest mountain to rise even higher. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more incredible insights into our dynamic planet! 🏔️

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