Mount Everest keeps growing. Study reveals surprising cause

The highest peak on Earth is a source of many dreams and aspirations, as well as broken hearts and lost lives. It is estimated that over 300 bodies of daredevils who perished while climbing or descending the summit currently lie on the mountain's slopes. Mount Everest has also claimed the lives of seven Poles, who died due to avalanches and falls. Despite the dangers, there is no shortage of adventurers risking everything to reach the summit. Among them was influencer Patec, who, on May 31, 2024, stood at the highest point on Earth.

During the first ascent, climbers who reached Mount Everest in 1953 stood lower than those climbing the mountain in 2024. Why? Researchers from University College London argue that Mount Everest grows by as much as 0.08 inches annually due to the action of the Arun River, which causes landmass loss in its basin located 47 miles from the mountain's base. In an interview with the "BBC," Adam Smith, a study co-author, explained: "It’s a bit like throwing a load of cargo off a ship. The ship becomes lighter and so floats a little higher. Similarly, when the crust becomes lighter… it can float a little higher."

Researchers explain that as the Arun River flows through the Himalayas, it removes the riverbed from the Earth's crust. Consequently, the pressure on the Earth's mantle—the layer below the crust—decreases, causing the thin crust to bend and lift upward, raising the peaks on it. This effect is called "isostatic rebound." The study published in "Nature Geoscience" indicates that this force raises Mount Everest and the fourth and fifth highest peaks on Earth, Lhotse and Makalu.

In an interview with the BBC, Dr. Matthew Fox said, "We can see them growing by about two millimetres a year using GPS instruments, and now we have a better understanding of what’s driving it."

Dr. Xu Han from the China University of Geosciences, the study's lead author, adds, "The changing height of Mount Everest really highlights the dynamic nature of the Earth's surface. The interaction between the erosion of the Arun River and the pressure from the Earth's mantle gives Mount Everest an additional boost, raising it higher than it otherwise would be."

Professor Hugh Sinclair from the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh doubts his colleagues' study. He admitted that the conclusions from the analysis are promising but emphasized it's difficult to definitively assess the impact of river erosion on the Earth's rising surface. He explained:

"Firstly, predicting river incision of such large catchments in response to drainage capture (one river capturing another river or lake) is challenging."

Sinclair added that the distance to which mountains rise from the point of intense local erosion is tough to predict. However, even considering these reservations, the possibility that part of Everest's exceptional height is associated with the river presents an exciting prospect.

The scientists responsible for the study acknowledged that Professor Sinclair's doubts are valid.