Known as the "third pole of the earth", the world's highest peak, Mount Everest (Mount Everest), why it has suddenly "grown taller" in recent years has attracted global attention.
Springer · Nature's professional academic journal Nature Earth Sciences published a paper online on the night of September 30, Beijing time, arguing that the recent uplift of Mount Everest may be partly due to the impact of a river raid on the landform about 89,000 years ago. The authors estimate that the event may have increased the elevation of Mount Everest by 15-50 meters.
On the night of September 30, Beijing time, Nature Earth Science published an online paper co-authored by Chinese and foreign scientists, revealing the reason for the sudden "growth of Mount Everest" in recent years. The picture shows the majestic posture of Mount Everest surrounded by white clouds on the mountainside. Photo by China News Service reporter Sun Zifa
According to the paper, the continuous convergence of the India plate and the Eurasian plate formed the Himalayas, which created some of the highest peaks on Earth. Among them, Mount Everest, which is nearly 8,849 meters above sea level, is about 250 meters higher than the second highest peak in the world. Previous analysis of Global Positioning System (GPS) data has shown that Mount Everest has risen at a rate of about 2 millimeters per year in recent years, which is faster than expected for the overall uplift of the Himalayas. This phenomenon suggests that there may be other mechanisms that contributed to the uplift of Mount Everest in addition to the ongoing regional tectonic movements.
On the night of September 30, Beijing time, Nature Earth Science published an online paper co-authored by Chinese and foreign scientists, revealing the reason for the sudden "growth of Mount Everest" in recent years. The picture shows Mount Everest and the Arun River. (Photo courtesy of Dai Jingen)
In this study, co-corresponding author Professor Dai Jingen of the team of Academician Wang Chengshan of China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and colleagues and collaborators investigated whether changes in the rivers near Mount Everest have contributed to the uplift of Mount Everest in recent years. They used numerical models to simulate the evolution of the Arun River and its downstream network and compare it with the current topography. Simulations show that the Arun River attacked the upper reaches of Pengqu 89,000 years ago. This diversion led to rapid erosion of the river as it adapted to the new course, culminating in the formation of the deep Arun River Grand Canyon.
Professor Dai pointed out that while river erosion may lead to a local reduction in elevation along the channel, a large amount of material from the formation of the canyon is carried away, which may cause the uplift of the surrounding landforms, including Mount Everest, as a compensatory response.
On the night of September 30, Beijing time, Nature Earth Science published an online paper co-authored by Chinese and foreign scientists, revealing the reason for the sudden "growth of Mount Everest" in recent years. The picture shows the beautiful scenery of Mount Everest at sunset on Jinshan. Photo by China News Service reporter Sun Zifa
The authors conclude that although the contribution of river raids to topographic change may be relatively small compared to plate movements, this process may have important implications for both regional erosion patterns and further uplift of mountain peaks.
Source: China News Network