Mt. Everest Essay, Research Paper

Bang! 50 million years ago India collided with Eurasia. The land buckled and crunched upward – the birth of the mighty Himalaya. 100 million years ago, a vast sea seperated Eurasia and India. Then, India started drifting north ward at a rate of 4 inches a year. In geological time that is break neck speed.

Like other pikes in the region, Mt. Everest has long been revered by the local people. It s most common Tibetan name, Chomolungma, means “Goddess mother of the world”. It s identity as the highest point on Earth was, however, not recognized until 1852. The governmental Survey of India established that fact. The currently reported height figure is 29,035 feet was calculated by an American team in 1999.

The summit of Everest reaches two-thirds of the way through the air of Earths atmosphere, where oxygen levels are dangerously low. The lack of oxygen , high winds, and extremely cold temperatures preclude the development of plant and animal life on the upper slopes. Precipitation falls in the form of snow during the summer monsoon from May until September.

Attempts to climb Mt. Everest began with the opening of the Tibetan route in 1920. Numerous attempts to climb the mountain failed because of the combined difficulties of cold, arid air, high winds, difficult terrian, and high altitude. But, dispite these difficulties, Everest was finally surmounted in 1953. On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary, of New Zeland, and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese sherpa, ascended the Southeast Ridge, passed the South Peak and reached the summit. Since Hillary and Norgay s climb, numerous expeditions have been sponsered by different countries, private individuals, and organizations. The first successful American expedition was in 1963.

Everest is unsurpassed in its girth. It is the highest point on Earth. The Himalayas, ( Everests mountain range) are the largest mountain landmass on the planet. India continues to press forward; the Indian sub continent has penetrated more than 1200 miles beneath Eurasia. As India pushes, Everest continues to rise. The mountain grows about four millimeters every year. All in all, Mount Everest is a beautiful and extraordinary product of Mother Nature.

Bibliography

1. National Geographic ” Roof of the World” (unable to find copyright date)

2. Encyclopedia Britannica 1999-200 Britannica.com Inc. / mountaineering