That is why the height of Everest is increasing
October 1, 20241 Min Read

Science and Engineering Desk: A recent study by the University College London (UCL) has shown that even if the erosion of the crust due to the flow of the Arun River and its branches in the Himalayan region, Mount Everest may rise by another 15 to 50 meters.

The height of Everest

According to a BBC report on Monday, this erosion of the crust due to river currents is occurring at least 75 kilometers from the center of Everest. And due to erosion, the world's highest peaks are rising by about two millimeters every year!

The question may arise, how can the decay of something make that object higher? In explaining this, the researchers compared this phenomenon to a ship. As seen in the case of ships, when the cargo is removed from it, the ship becomes more buoyant on the water. Thus, due to erosion, the earth's surface also becomes lighter.

The Himalayas were formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates 4 to 5 million years ago. This tectonic activity continued to uplift the Himalayas. Researchers at University College London assert that the Arun River also contributes to this rise.

The study was recently published in 'Nature Geoscience'. According to this study, not only Everest, but other peaks like its neighbors Lhotse and Makalu are rapidly rising due to this upward force.