Check out some of the least talked about topics, myths, realities and some incredible facts of Mount Everest!
- How old is Mount Everest?
- Does Mount Everest also grow?
- Where did Mount Everest get its name From?
- When did the highest peak get a new name – Mount Everest?
- Who named the mountain which Already had its name?
- Who lives in Mount Everest? (Religious Belief)
- Who lives in Mount Everest? (Reality)
- Was Mount Everest once under the sea?
- Were Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa really the first pair to summit Mount Everest?
- What happens in the infamous Death Zone?
Some 13.8 billion years ago, a hot and infinitely dense point violently exploded, creating our universe – The Big Bang Theory.
Some 5 billion years ago, swirling gas, dusts and rocks were pulled by gravity eventually creating a planet, which now we call our home planet – The Planet Earth.
Some 50 million years ago, tectonic smashup occurred between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates which formed The Great Himalayas, and the tallest peak in the world which was later named – Mount Everest.
Ever Growing
The tectonic collision that took place some 50 million years ago is still happening till today. So, the height of Mount Everest is ever growing. On average, Everest grows by 5 mm per year. According to the latest measurement combinely done by Nepal and China, the current height of Mount Everest is: 8848.86 meters (29,032 feet), more by 86 cm (2.8 ft)) than had been previously officially calculated.
Named After the Man Who Never Laid His Eyes on the Highest Peak
Colonel Sir George Everest was a British surveyor and geographer who for a large period of time, led the Great Trigonometrical Survey. Sir George Everest had protested against the proposal to name the highest mountain after him, which was clearly ruled out.
Mount Everest or सगरमाथा or Chomolungma ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ was Identified as Peak XV by British before renaming
The tallest mountain was identified as Peak XV by the British explorers. However, Nepalese had its own name – सगरमाथा (Goddess of the Sky), so did Tibetans – Zhumulangma Feng or Chu-mu-lang-ma Feng, or Qomolangma Feng ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ (Goddess Mother of the World). But British Raj needed a British name (obviously), so सगरमाथा or ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ was renamed as Mount Everest in 1856. Sir George never laid his eyes on the highest peak.
Mount Kenchenjunga was Considered the Tallest Peak before Peak XV was measured
In 1852, Major General Sir Andrew Scott Waugh and his team discovered that Peak XV was the highest mountain with the height of 8,839.2 m (29,000 ft).
Prior to that, Mount Kenchenjunga was considered the highest mountain in the world. Sir Andrew Scott Waugh worked for Great Trigonometrical Survey and succeeded Sir George Everest in 1843. He was the one, who proposed his predecessor, Sir George Everest’s name for the tallest peak.
Religious Belief: Home for Miyolangsangma – The Tibetan Buddhist Goddess
Tibetans believe that the Goddess of Inexhaustible Giving – Miyolangsangma lives in Chomolungma (Mount Everest). The goddess of the mountains – Miyolangsangma is one of the five long-life sisters. Her characteristics are detailed as a very pretty goddess of humans who rides a red tiger.
Fact: Home for this Fearless Dude
Euophrys omnisuperstes, literally meaning – “standing above everything”, is Himalayan Jumping Spider, which is found above the altitude of 6,700 m., including the tallest mountain. This dude (female too) survives on Anthomyiidae and springtails found under the Himalayan rocks.
Was Mount Everest Once Under Water?
(P). The bar is 1mm. Right: T trilobite fragments with the typical threefold arched shape. The bar is 0.1mm.
Around 200 million years ago, Gondwana Break up took place. The process carried some tectonics across what is now the Indian Ocean, creating a large shallow ocean with a rich ocean life. During the collision of Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, heavier rocks were naturally pushed back down and lighter rocks such as limestone, sandstone were pushed upward, forming mountains. This is probably the reason why limestone, marble, shale, granite, pegmatite intrusions, and gneiss rock are found in sedimentary level of Mount Everest. I’m sure this makes one of the stunning facts of Mount Everest, isn’t it?
Was Mallory and Irvin the First Pair to Set Foot on Mount Everest?
A Cambridge Uni graduate, a Former British Army who fought during the First World War, and a passionate mountaineer George Mallory made 3rd attempt to climb Mount Everest in 1924. His climbing partner was his 22 years old protégé Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, who was known for his natural engineering acumen and passion for mountaineering. The pair had set off to the Mount Everest on June 8, 1924 from their camp at the altitude of 8,168m. They were never seen alive afterwards. Mallory’s body was discovered after 75 years on May 1999, but Irvine’s body is missing till date. The biggest riddle in the history of mountaineering is: Did Mallory and Irvine summit Everest? After Mallory’s body remains were identified; some evidences indicated that he successfully climbed the highest peak. His snow goggles were found in his pocket, which indicates that he might have fallen during sunset. Given the timeline, they would have been descending from the peak by the time sun sets. Also, the photo of Mallory’s wife was not found in his pocket, which he had promised his wife to leave at the peak of the Mount Everest when he summits. Since it is unclear whether the duo summited Mount Everest, we recognize Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa as the first pair to successfully summit Mount Everest.
What Happens in Death Zone?
In mountaineering, Death Zone refers to the altitudes above a point where partial pressure of Oxygen (PO2) is lowered hence increasing the challenge of survival. In death zone, human body can not acclimatize, so body cells start to die and body starts to break down.
Lungs and brain starve for oxygen. Blood can thicken and clot, lungs can accumulate fluid and victims can drown in their own fluid. With hypoxia, one can easily have a heart attack. Even the slightest light feels like needles in the eyes. Since brain lacks oxygen, the person can experience bizarre hallucinations. Most of the mountaineers use supplementary oxygen in death zone. In case of Mount Everest, Death Zone is where maximum number of mountaineers have succumbed to death. The reason: High altitude, thin air and brutal weather.
Everyone has their own Everest to climb in life. And Mount Everest demands a lot of courage, oddly, offering a lot of courage too. Do you plan to lay your eyes on the highest peak after reading these least talked about facts of Mount Everest? The mountain is calling you ….
Written By: Justina Syangden!
She is a Tourism and Hotel Management Graduate and is a producer and presenter of Radio Program on Tourism and Hospitality!
Tags: Everest Death Zone?, Height of Mount Everest?, How Old is Mount Everest?, Where is Mount Everest?, Who named Mount Everest?