Characteristics

• Called Chomolungma in Tibet
• Located at 28° N, 87°, on the border of Nepal and Tibet (China).
• In 1852, it was declared the highest point on Earth.
• Can be seen directly only from the northeastern side.
• At 29,035 ft. (8,850 m.), Everest Peak reaches two-thirds of the way through the atmosphere.

Technology

• Formation of the Himalayas began during the Miocene Epoch (26 million to 7 million years ago)
• India collided with Eurasia.  The earth buckled up and the Himalayas were formed.  About 20 million years ago, a "cataclysmic uplife" occurred, forming much of what we know as the Himalayas.
• Almost 6 miles high, the Himalayas are now by far the tallest mountain range on earth.

Wonder Qualities

• In 1920, the Tibetan route was opened.  Ten attempts were made between 1920 and 1952, although all failed.
• It was not until 1953, just over a century after it was called the tallest mountain on Earth, that the summit was reached.
• The Himalayas, including Mount Everest, are still raising!  Using Global Positioning System, researchers found that Mount Everest is growing 0.1576 inches every year.

"Sherpa Fura Gyaljen gingerly crosses a crevasse in Everest’s Khumbu Icefield. A month before, the same crevasse had measured six inches (15 centimeters) wide"

-National Geographic photo of the day