Page 51 - GK Class 06

42 Facts about Mount Everest

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth. Mount Everest is in the

Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world. It is about 8848 metres.

Let us read some facts about Mount Everest.

Geography

• Mount Everest is over 60 million years old.
• Mount Everest was formed by the movement of the
Indian tectonic plate pushing up against the Asian plate.

• Mount Everest is covered with deep snow all the year long.
• Mount Everest is 29,035 feet or 8848 metres high.
• Mount Everest grows by about a quarter of an inch (0.25”) every year.

Weather

• The jet stream sits on top of Everest almost all the year long.
• In mid-May each year, the jet stream moves north causing the winds to calm and

temperatures to warm up enough for the people to try to reach the summit. This is
called the ‘summit window’. There is a similar period in each fall in November.
• The wind can blow over 200 mph.
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• The temperature can be –80 F.
Climbing

• In 1814, Sir George Everest, Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843, first
recorded the location of the Everest.
• There are 18 different climbing routes on Mount Everest.

• There is 66 % less oxygen on the summit of Everest than at sea level.
• Almost all the climbers use bottled oxygen because of high altitude. It helps to keep

the climbers warm.
• Thick, puffy suits filled with goose feathers keep the climbers warm.
• Thin nylon ropes are used to keep climbers safe from falling.

• Climbers wear spikes on their boots called crampons. They also use ice axes.

This Corner

The height of Mount Everest is found to be growing 4 mm per year. This growth is due to
the steady movement of rock northwards.

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