96-1805: Legend: 1: Mount Everest , 2: Kangchenjunga , 3: Lhotse , 4: Yalung Kang, Kanchenjunga West , 5: Makalu , 6: Kangchenjunga South , 7: Kangchenjunga Central , 8: Cho Oyu , 9: Dhaulagiri , 10: Manaslu (Kutang) , 11: Nanga Parbat (Diamer) , 12: Annapurna , 13: Shishapangma (Shishasbangma, Xixiabangma) , 14: Manaslu East , 15: Annapurna East Peak , 16: Gyachung Kang , 17: Annapurna II , 18: Tenzing Peak (Ngojumba Kang, Ngozumpa Kang, Ngojumba Ri) , 19: Kangbachen , 20: Himalchuli (Himal Chuli) , 21: Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29, Dakura, Dakum, Dunapurna) , 22: Nuptse (Nubtse) , 23: Nanda Devi , 24: Chomo Lonzo (Chomolonzo, Chomolönzo, Chomo Lönzo, Jomolönzo, Lhamalangcho) , 25: Namcha Barwa (Namchabarwa) , 26: Zemu Kang (Zemu Gap Peak) , 27: Kamet , 28: Dhaulagiri II , 29: Ngojumba Kang II , 30: Dhaulagiri III , 31: Kumbhakarna Mountain (Mount Kumbhakarna, Jannu) , 32: Gurla Mandhata (Naimona'nyi, Namu Nan) , 33: Hillary Peak (Ngojumba Kang III) , 34: Molamenqing (Phola Gangchen) , 35: Dhaulagiri IV , 36: Annapurna Fang , 37: Silver Crag , 38: Kangbachen Southwest , 39: Gangkhar Puensum (Gangkar Punsum) , 40: Annapurna III , 41: Himalchuli West , 42: Annapurna IV , 43: Kula Kangri , 44: Liankang Kangri (Gangkhar Puensum North, Liangkang Kangri) , 45: Ngadi Chuli South Kangchenjunga , also spelled Kanchenjunga , Kanchanjanghā and Khangchendzonga ,
192-688: A belt of Late Oligocene – Miocene intrusive rocks known as the Higher Himalayan leucogranite. They formed as the result of partial melting of Paleoproterozoic to Ordovician high-grade metasedimentary rocks of the Higher Himalayan Sequence about 20 to 24 million years ago during the subduction of the Indian Plate. Mount Everest consists of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks that have been faulted southward over continental crust composed of Archean granulites of
288-572: A distinctive yellowish brown, and muscovite - biotite phyllite and semischist . Petrographic analysis of marble collected from about 8,300 m (27,200 ft) found it to consist as much as five per cent of the ghosts of recrystallised crinoid ossicles. The upper five metres of the Yellow Band lying adjacent to the Qomolangma Detachment is badly deformed. A 5–40 cm (2.0–15.7 in) thick fault breccia separates it from
384-570: A family in Ardwick , Manchester , England. His father was a builder and merchant seaman who died in 1931 when Brown was eight months old. Brown's mother was forced to take in washing before she began work as a cleaner. In his autobiography, The Hard Years , Brown remembered being banned from the Scouts for refusing to go on a church parade and recalled how he began exploring the countryside: camping out, playing and climbing in old quarries. At around
480-646: A feat accomplished by Tim Macartney-Snape's team in 1990. Climbers usually begin their ascent from base camps above 5,000 m (16,404 ft). The amount of elevation climbed from below these camps varies. On the Tibetan side, most climbers drive directly to the North Base Camp . On the Nepalese side, climbers generally fly into Kathmandu , then Lukla , and trek to the South Base Camp , making
576-526: A huge mountain massif . The massif's five highest peaks are listed in the following table. The main ridge of the massif runs from north-northeast to south-southwest and forms a watershed to several rivers. Together with ridges running roughly from east to west they form a giant cross. These ridges contain a host of peaks between 6,000 and 8,586 m (19,685 and 28,169 ft). The northern section includes Yalung Kang, Kangchenjunga Central and South, Kangbachen, Kirat Chuli and Gimmigela Chuli , and runs up to
672-585: A large sloping plateau at around 7,500 m (24,600 ft), covered by a hanging glacier. The route is almost entirely on snow, glacier and one icefall ; the summit ridge itself can involve a small amount of travel on rock. The first ascent expedition made six camps above their base camp, two below the Shelf, two on it, and two above it. They started on 18 April, and everyone was back to base camp by 28 May. Other members of this expedition included John Angelo Jackson and Tom Mackinnon. Despite improved climbing gear
768-600: A native name for the mountain was Gaurishankar , a mountain between Kathmandu and Everest. In 1802, the British began the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India to fix the locations, heights, and names of the world's highest mountains. Starting in southern India, the survey teams moved northward using giant theodolites , each weighing 500 kg (1,100 lb) and requiring 12 men to carry, to measure heights as accurately as possible. They reached
864-584: A new weather station at about 8,000 m (26,000 ft) elevation went online. The project was orchestrated by Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment (SHARE), which also placed the Mount Everest webcam in 2011. The solar-powered weather station is on the South Col . Mount Everest extends into the upper troposphere and penetrates the stratosphere . The air pressure at
960-419: A reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history." There is very little native flora or fauna on Everest. A type of moss grows at 6,480 metres (21,260 ft) on Mount Everest and it may be the highest altitude plant species. An alpine cushion plant called Arenaria is known to grow below 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) in the region. According to
1056-438: A sequence of high-grade metamorphic and granitic rocks that were derived from the alteration of high-grade metasedimentary rocks. During the collision of India with Asia, these rocks were thrust downward and to the north as they were overridden by other strata; heated, metamorphosed, and partially melted at depths of over 15 to 20 kilometres (9.3 to 12.4 mi) below sea level; and then forced upward to surface by thrusting towards
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#17327721658901152-760: A shop, since expanded to three shops in Snowdonia and an online store. On 17 February 1957, Brown married Valerie Melville Gray. They had two daughters. On 15 April 2020, Brown died at his home in Llanberis , aged 89. Brown was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and in 2011 was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year's Honours List for services to rock climbing and mountaineering. Upon receiving
1248-410: A survey official back to Terai to make closer observations of peak "b", but clouds thwarted his attempts. In 1849, Waugh dispatched James Nicolson to the area, who made two observations from Jirol, 190 km (120 mi) away. Nicolson then took the largest theodolite and headed east, obtaining over 30 observations from five different locations, with the closest being 174 km (108 mi) from
1344-520: A total of 6,032 km (2,329 sq mi): These protected areas are habitats for many globally significant plant species such as rhododendrons and orchids and many endangered flagship species such as snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ), Asian black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ), red panda ( Ailurus fulgens ), white-bellied musk deer ( Moschus leucogaster ), blood pheasant ( Ithaginis cruentus ) and chestnut-breasted partridge ( Arborophila mandellii ). There are four climbing routes to reach
1440-654: Is Earth's highest mountain above sea level , located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas . The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point . Its elevation (snow height) of 8,848.86 m (29,031 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities. Mount Everest attracts many climbers, including highly experienced mountaineers. There are two main climbing routes, one approaching
1536-413: Is Sagarmāthā ( IAST transcription) or Sagar-Matha (सगर-माथा, [sʌɡʌrmatʰa] , lit. "goddess of the sky" ), which means "the head in the great blue sky", being derived from सगर (sagar), meaning "sky", and माथा (māthā), meaning "head". The Tibetan name for Everest is Qomolangma ( ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ , lit. "holy mother"). The name was first recorded (in a Chinese transcription) in
1632-417: Is despite Chimborazo having a peak of 6,268 m (20,564.3 ft) above sea level versus Mount Everest's 8,848 m (29,028.9 ft). Nearby peaks include Lhotse , 8,516 m (27,940 ft); Nuptse , 7,855 m (25,771 ft), and Changtse , 7,580 m (24,870 ft) among others. Another nearby peak is Khumbutse , and many of the highest mountains in the world are near Mount Everest. On
1728-489: Is so high the jet stream can hit it. Climbers can be faced with winds beyond 320 km/h (200 mph) when the weather shifts. At certain times of the year the jet stream shifts north, providing periods of relative calm at the mountain. Other dangers include blizzards and avalanches. In 1885, Clinton Thomas Dent , president of the Alpine Club , suggested that climbing Mount Everest was possible in his book Above
1824-456: Is taller than Everest as well. Despite its height above sea level of only 6,190 m (20,308 ft), Denali sits atop a sloping plain with elevations from 300 to 900 m (980 to 2,950 ft), yielding a height above base in the range of 5,300 to 5,900 m (17,400 to 19,400 ft); a commonly quoted figure is 5,600 m (18,400 ft). By comparison, reasonable base elevations for Everest range from 4,200 m (13,800 ft) on
1920-648: Is the third-highest mountain in the world . Its summit lies at 8,586 m (28,169 ft) in a section of the Himalayas , the Kangchenjunga Himal , which is bounded in the west by the Tamur River , in the north by the Lhonak River and Jongsang La , and in the east by the Teesta River . It lies in the border region between Koshi Province of Nepal and Sikkim state of India , with
2016-646: Is the highest elevation of the Brahmaputra River basin, which forms part of the southeast Asian monsoon regime and is among the globally largest river basins. Kangchenjunga is one of six peaks above 8,000 m (26,000 ft) located in the basin of the Kosi River , which is among the largest tributaries of the Ganges . The Kangchenjunga massif forms also part of the Ganges Basin . Although it
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#17327721658902112-587: Is the point at which Earth's surface reaches the greatest distance above sea level . Several other mountains are sometimes claimed to be the "tallest mountains on Earth". Mauna Kea in Hawaii is tallest when measured from its base; it rises over 10,200 m (33,464.6 ft) from its base on the mid-ocean floor, but only attains 4,205 m (13,796 ft) above sea level. By the same measure of base to summit, Denali , in Alaska , formerly known as Mount McKinley,
2208-535: Is the third highest peak in the world, Kangchenjunga is only ranked 29th by topographic prominence , a measure of a mountain's independent stature. The key col for Kangchenjunga lies at a height of 4,664 metres (15,302 ft), along the watershed boundary between Arun and Brahmaputra rivers in Tibet. It is, however, the fourth-most-prominent peak in the Himalayas, after Everest, and the western and eastern anchors of
2304-509: Is widely quoted. Geoid uncertainty casts doubt upon the accuracy claimed by both the 1999 and 2005 (see § 21st-century surveys ) surveys. In 1955, a detailed photogrammetric map (at a scale of 1:50,000) of the Khumbu region, including the south side of Mount Everest, was made by Erwin Schneider as part of the 1955 International Himalayan Expedition, which also attempted Lhotse . In
2400-696: The Alps and Himalayas included many ascents in the 1950s with Whillans and other members of the Rock and Ice climbing club and, in 1955, the first ascent of the world's third-highest mountain , Kangchenjunga in the Nepalese Himalayas , with George Band . In 1956 he made the first ascent of the west summit of the Muztagh Tower in the Karakoram with Ian McNaught-Davis . The other members of
2496-452: The Great Trigonometrical Survey . From 1952 to 1954, the Survey of India , using triangulation methods, determined that the height of Everest was 8,847.73 m (29,028 ft). In 1975 it was subsequently reaffirmed by a Chinese measurement of 8,848.13 m (29,029.30 ft). In both cases the snow cap, not the rock head, was measured. The 8,848 m (29,029 ft) height given
2592-733: The Lhonak Chu , Goma Chu and Jongsang La , and in the east by the Teesta River. The western limit runs from the Jongsang La down the Gingsang and Kangchenjunga glaciers and the rivers of Ghunsa and Tamur . It lies in the border region between Koshi Province of Nepal and Sikkim state of India , with the peaks West and Kangbachen in Nepal's Taplejung District , and three of the five peaks, namely Main, Central and South, directly on
2688-463: The North Col , the 1922 expedition pushed the north ridge route up to 8,320 m (27,300 ft), marking the first time a human had climbed above 8,000 m (26,247 ft). The 1924 expedition resulted in one of the greatest mysteries on Everest to this day: George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made a final summit attempt on 8 June but never returned, sparking debate as to whether they were
2784-549: The Rock and Ice Club . In Hard Rock , Ken Wilson said of Brown: "The reader may gain some idea of his ability by studying those of his climbs featured in this book. He has brought to climbing a rare combination of attributes: keenness, patience, strength, technical ability, eye for a line, competitiveness and, above all, a subtle and mysterious charisma. Few would deny that his place in British rock climbing remains pre-eminent." Reviewing Brown's autobiography The Hard Years in 1967,
2880-530: The South Col at 7,920 metres (25,980 ft) and yellow-billed choughs have been seen as high as 7,900 metres (26,000 ft). Yaks are often used to haul gear for Mount Everest climbs. They can haul around 100 kg (220 pounds), have thick fur and large lungs. Other animals in the region include the Himalayan tahr , which is sometimes the prey of the snow leopard . The Himalayan black bear can be found up to about 4,300 metres (14,000 ft) and
2976-502: The convergent boundary between the Eurasian Plate and Indian Plate , are adding to the height and moving the summit northeastwards. Two accounts suggest the rates of change are 4 mm (0.16 in) per year vertically and 3 to 6 mm (0.12 to 0.24 in) per year horizontally, but another account mentions more lateral movement (27 mm or 1.1 in), and even shrinkage has been suggested. The summit of Everest
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3072-473: The red panda is also present in the region. One expedition found a surprising range of species in the region including a pika and ten new species of ants. Mount Everest has an ice cap climate (Köppen EF ) with all months averaging well below freezing. The base camp for Everest expeditions based out of Nepal is located by Khumbu Glacier , which is rapidly thinning and destabilizing due to climate change , making it unsafe for climbers. As recommended by
3168-492: The upper and middle class professionals who had dominated the sport up to the Second World War . He became the first person to climb the third-highest mountain in the world when he was on the 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition . Some of his climbs were televised and he assisted with mountaineering scenes in several films; Brown died on 15 April 2020 at the age of 89. Brown was born the seventh and last child of
3264-740: The upper and middle class professionals who had dominated the sport up to the Second World War . So famous was he that the Post Office delivered a letter to him simply addressed "The Human Fly, UK". Brown established a number of new routes in Snowdonia and the Peak District that were at the leading edge of the hardest grades . Examples on Dinas Cromlech in the Llanberis Pass include "Cenotaph Corner" (1952, graded E1 , with Doug Belshaw) and "Cemetery Gates" (1951, E1, with Don Whillans). Brown's mountaineering achievements in
3360-799: The 1721 Kangxi Atlas, issued during the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi ; it first appeared in the West in 1733 as Tchoumour Lancma , on a map prepared by the French geographer D'Anville and based on Kangxi Atlas. The Tibetan name is also popularly romanised as Chomolungma and (in Wylie ) as Jo-mo-glang-ma . The official Chinese transcription is 珠穆朗玛峰 ( t 珠穆朗瑪峰 ), or Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng in pinyin . While other Chinese names have been used historically, including Shèngmǔ Fēng ( t 聖母峰 , s 圣母峰 , lit. "holy mother peak"), these names were largely phased out after
3456-590: The British continued the survey and began detailed observations of the Himalayan peaks from observation stations up to 240 km (150 mi) distant. Weather restricted work to the last three months of the year. In November 1847, Andrew Scott Waugh , the British Surveyor General of India , made several observations from the Sawajpore station at the east end of the Himalayas. Kangchenjunga
3552-502: The CBE, the BBC reported him as saying: "Receiving the CBE is so strange, because it's like I'm being awarded for enjoying myself". Throughout his climbing career Brown was involved in films such as Hazard , Upside Down Wales , Five Days One Summer , in which he and other British climbers assisted with the mountaineering scenes. In 1986 he was the stunt double for Robert De Niro during
3648-515: The Chinese Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a decree to adopt a sole name in May 1952. The British geographic survey of 1849 attempted to preserve local names when possible (e.g., Kangchenjunga and Dhaulagiri .) However, Andrew Waugh , the British Surveyor General of India , claimed that he could not find a commonly used local name, and that his search for one had been hampered by
3744-458: The Himalaya is a journey around Kangchenjunga. The area around Kangchenjunga is said to be home to a mountain deity, called Dzö-nga or "Kangchenjunga Demon", a type of yeti or rakshasa . A British geological expedition in 1925 spotted a bipedal creature which they asked the locals about, who referred to it as the "Kangchenjunga Demon". For generations, there have been legends recounted by
3840-550: The Himalaya, Nanga Parbat and Namcha Barwa , respectively. The Kangchenjunga landscape is a complex of three distinct ecoregions : the eastern Himalayan broad-leaved and coniferous forests , the Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows and the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands . The Kangchenjunga transboundary landscape is shared by Nepal, India, Bhutan and China , and comprises 14 protected areas with
3936-591: The Himalayan foothills by the 1830s, but Nepal was unwilling to allow the British to enter the country due to suspicions of their intentions. Several requests by the surveyors to enter Nepal were denied. The British were forced to continue their observations from Terai , a region south of Nepal which is parallel to the Himalayas. Conditions in Terai were difficult because of torrential rains and malaria . Three survey officers died from malaria while two others had to retire because of failing health. Nonetheless, in 1847,
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4032-588: The Indian Plate during the Cenozoic collision of India with Asia . Current interpretations argue that the Qomolangma and North Col formations consist of marine sediments that accumulated within the continental shelf of the northern passive continental margin of India before it collided with Asia. The Cenozoic collision of India with Asia subsequently deformed and metamorphosed these strata as it thrust them southward and upward. The Rongbuk Formation consists of
4128-654: The Jongsang La. The eastern ridge in Sikkim includes Siniolchu . The southern section runs along the Nepal–Sikkim border and includes Kabru I to III. This ridge extends southwards to the Singalila Ridge . The western ridge culminates in the Kumbhakarna, also known as Jannu . Four main glaciers radiate from the peak, pointing roughly to the northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest. The Zemu glacier in
4224-584: The Kangchenjunga region has just recently been permitted. The Goecha La trek is gaining popularity amongst tourists. It goes to the Goecha La Pass, located right in front of the huge southeast face of Kangchenjunga. Another trek to Green Lake Basin has recently been opened for trekking. This trek goes to the Northeast side of Kangchenjunga along the famous Zemu Glacier . The film Singalila in
4320-605: The Nepalese and Tibetan policy of exclusion of foreigners. Waugh argued that – because there were many local names – it would be difficult to favour one name over all others; he therefore decided that Peak XV should be named after British surveyor Sir George Everest , his predecessor as Surveyor General of India. Everest himself opposed the honor, and told the Royal Geographical Society in 1857 that "Everest" could neither be written in Hindi nor pronounced by "
4416-611: The North Col Formation is a regional low-angle normal fault called the "Lhotse detachment". Below 7,000 m (23,000 ft), the Rongbuk Formation underlies the North Col Formation and forms the base of Mount Everest. It consists of sillimanite - K-feldspar grade schist and gneiss intruded by numerous sills and dikes of leucogranite ranging in thickness from 1 cm to 1,500 m (0.4 in to 4,900 ft). These leucogranites are part of
4512-464: The Snow Line . Joe Brown (climber) Joseph Brown CBE (26 September 1930 – 15 April 2020) was an English mountaineer who was regarded as an outstanding pioneer of rock climbing during the 1950s and early 1960s. Together with his early climbing partner, Don Whillans , he was one of a new breed of British post-war climbers who came from working class backgrounds in contrast to
4608-500: The age of 16 he came to Kinder Downfall and, having read Colin Kirkus ' Let's Go Climbing , he decided to begin climbing. He reputedly borrowed his mother's old washing line to use as a rope, but Brown himself explained that, in fact, he stole rope that had been placed around roadworks. After leaving school he trained as an apprentice plumber and general builder, working for a plumber and general builder called Archie. In 1949–50, he
4704-528: The air pressure further, reducing available oxygen by up to 14 percent. To avoid the harshest winds, climbers typically aim for a 7- to 10-day window in the spring and fall when the Asian monsoon season is starting up or ending. Mount Everest hosts several weather stations that collect important data on high-altitude weather conditions. Among them is the Balcony Station, the highest weather station on
4800-475: The border. Kanchenjunga rises about 20 km (12 mi) south of the general alignment of the Great Himalayan range about 125 km (78 mi) east-southeast of Mount Everest as the crow flies. South of the southern face of Kanchenjunga runs the 3,000–3,500 m (9,800–11,500 ft) high Singalila Ridge that separates Sikkim from Nepal and northern West Bengal . Until 1852, Kangchenjunga
4896-441: The climb from Lukla to the summit about 6,000 m (19,685 ft) in elevation gain. The first recorded efforts to reach Everest's summit were made by British mountaineers . As Nepal did not allow foreigners to enter the country at the time, the British made several attempts on the north ridge route from the Tibetan side. After the first reconnaissance expedition by the British in 1921 reached 7,000 m (22,970 ft) on
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#17327721658904992-447: The climber A. B. Hargreaves said: "This is a remarkable book by a remarkable man. As for the man, the hard man, the climber, his achievements both in rock climbing and mountaineering have been very great. In twenty years he has become a legend". An early climbing partner was Don Whillans , from the neighbouring city of Salford . They were among the first of a new breed of post-war climbers from working class backgrounds, in contrast to
5088-710: The climbing scenes in The Mission . Brown is remembered for televised rock climbs in the 1960s, three in Snowdonia, and in 1967, a spectacular new route on the Old Man of Hoy , a Scottish sea stack , with Ian McNaught-Davis and Chris Bonington , which was broadcast live by the BBC. In 1984 Brown repeated the climb of the Old Man in a television documentary. In his 2010 book Unjustifiable Risk?: The Story of British Climbing , Simon Thompson, says of Brown: "Joe Brown
5184-537: The committee formed by Nepal's government to facilitate and monitor mountaineering in the Everest region, Taranath Adhikari—the director general of Nepal's tourism department—said they have plans to move the base camp to a lower altitude. This would mean a longer distance for climbers between the base camp and Camp 1. However, the present base camp is still useful and could still serve its purpose for three to four years. The move may happen by 2024, per officials. In 2008,
5280-512: The effort and attention poured into expeditions, only about 200 people had summited by 1987. Everest remained a difficult climb for decades, even for serious attempts by professional climbers and large national expeditions, which were the norm until the commercial era began in the 1990s. By March 2012, Everest had been climbed 5,656 times with 223 deaths. By 2013, The Himalayan Database recorded 6,871 summits by 4,042 different people. Although lower mountains have longer or steeper climbs, Everest
5376-402: The fatality rate of climbers attempting to summit Kanchenjunga is high. Since the 1990s, more than 20% of people died while climbing Kanchenjunga's main peak. Because of its remote location in Nepal and the difficulty involved in accessing it from India, the Kangchenjunga region is not much explored by trekkers. It has, therefore, retained much of its pristine beauty. In Sikkim too, trekking into
5472-463: The first to reach the top. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first documented ascent of Everest in 1953 , using the southeast ridge route. Norgay had reached 8,595 m (28,199 ft) the previous year as a member of the 1952 Swiss expedition . The Chinese mountaineering team of Wang Fuzhou , Gonpo , and Qu Yinhua made the first reported ascent of the peak from the north ridge on 25 May 1960. Mount Everest's Nepali / Sanskrit name
5568-518: The inhabitants of the areas surrounding Kanchenjunga, both in Sikkim and in Nepal, that there is a valley of immortality hidden on its slopes. These stories are well known to both the original inhabitants of the area, the Lepcha people and Limbu people , and those of the Tibetan Buddhist cultural tradition. In Tibetan, this valley is known as Beyul Demoshong. In 1962, a Tibetan Lama by
5664-507: The late 1980s, an even more detailed topographic map of the Everest area was made under the direction of Bradford Washburn, using extensive aerial photography . On 9 October 2005, after several months of measurement and calculation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping announced the height of Everest as 8,844.43 m (29,017.16 ft) with accuracy of ±0.21 m (8.3 in), claiming it
5760-407: The limestone from near the summit revealed them to be composed of carbonate pellets and finely fragmented remains of trilobites , crinoids, and ostracods . Other samples were so badly sheared and recrystallised that their original constituents could not be determined. A thick, white-weathering thrombolite bed that is 60 m (200 ft) thick comprises the foot of the " Third Step ", and base of
5856-528: The line which John Kempe's party had reconnoitered the previous year. Because of the difficulties on that line they turned to the Yalung Face, which had first been explored by Aleister Crowley's party in 1905. The route starts on the Yalung Glacier to the southwest of the peak, and climbs the Yalung Face, which is 3,000 m (10,000 ft) high. The main feature of this face is the "Great Shelf",
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#17327721658905952-438: The lower part of the North Col Formation consists of biotite-quartz schist intercalated with epidote-quartz schist, biotite-calcite-quartz schist, and thin layers of quartzose marble . These metamorphic rocks appear to be the result of the metamorphism of Middle to Early Cambrian deep sea flysch composed of interbedded, mudstone , shale , clayey sandstone , calcareous sandstone, graywacke , and sandy limestone. The base of
6048-448: The mountain and have not been removed due to the dangerous conditions. Climbers typically ascend only part of Mount Everest's elevation, as the mountain's full elevation is measured from the geoid , which approximates sea level . The closest sea to Mount Everest's summit is the Bay of Bengal , almost 700 km (430 mi) away. To approximate a climb of the entire height of Mount Everest, one would need to start from this coastline,
6144-422: The mountain was climbed in ancient times is unknown. It may have been climbed in 1924, although this has never been confirmed, as neither of the men making the attempt returned. Several climbing routes have been established over several decades of climbing expeditions to the mountain. Everest's summit is first known to have been reached by a human in 1953, and interest from climbers increased thereafter. Despite
6240-2208: The name of Tulshuk Lingpa led over 300 followers into the high snow slopes of Kanchenjunga, to ‘open the way’ to Beyul Demoshong. The story of this expedition is recounted in the 2011 book A Step Away from Paradise . The above Himalayan Journal references were all also reproduced in the "50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of Kangchenjunga" The Himalayan Club, Kolkata Section 2005. Mount Everest Legend: 1: Mount Everest , 2: Kangchenjunga , 3: Lhotse , 4: Yalung Kang, Kanchenjunga West , 5: Makalu , 6: Kangchenjunga South , 7: Kangchenjunga Central , 8: Cho Oyu , 9: Dhaulagiri , 10: Manaslu (Kutang) , 11: Nanga Parbat (Diamer) , 12: Annapurna , 13: Shishapangma (Shishasbangma, Xixiabangma) , 14: Manaslu East , 15: Annapurna East Peak , 16: Gyachung Kang , 17: Annapurna II , 18: Tenzing Peak (Ngojumba Kang, Ngozumpa Kang, Ngojumba Ri) , 19: Kangbachen , 20: Himalchuli (Himal Chuli) , 21: Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29, Dakura, Dakum, Dunapurna) , 22: Nuptse (Nubtse) , 23: Nanda Devi , 24: Chomo Lonzo (Chomolonzo, Chomolönzo, Chomo Lönzo, Jomolönzo, Lhamalangcho) , 25: Namcha Barwa (Namchabarwa) , 26: Zemu Kang (Zemu Gap Peak) , 27: Kamet , 28: Dhaulagiri II , 29: Ngojumba Kang II , 30: Dhaulagiri III , 31: Kumbhakarna Mountain (Mount Kumbhakarna, Jannu) , 32: Gurla Mandhata (Naimona'nyi, Namu Nan) , 33: Hillary Peak (Ngojumba Kang III) , 34: Molamenqing (Phola Gangchen) , 35: Dhaulagiri IV , 36: Annapurna Fang , 37: Silver Crag , 38: Kangbachen Southwest , 39: Gangkhar Puensum (Gangkar Punsum) , 40: Annapurna III , 41: Himalchuli West , 42: Annapurna IV , 43: Kula Kangri , 44: Liankang Kangri (Gangkhar Puensum North, Liangkang Kangri) , 45: Ngadi Chuli South Mount Everest , known locally as Sagarmatha or Qomolangma ,
6336-440: The native of India ". Despite Everest's objections, Waugh's proposed name prevailed, and the Royal Geographical Society officially adopted the name "Mount Everest" in 1865. The modern pronunciation of Everest ( / ˈ ɛ v ər ɪ s t / ) is different from Sir George's pronunciation of his surname ( / ˈ iː v r ɪ s t / EEV -rist ). In the late 19th century, many European cartographers incorrectly believed that
6432-597: The northeast and the Talung glacier in the southeast drain to the Teesta River; the Yalung glacier in the southwest and the Kangchen glacier in the northwest drain to the Arun and Kosi rivers . The glaciers spread over the area above approximately 5,000 m (16,000 ft), and the glacialized area covers about 314 km (121 sq mi) in total. There are 120 glaciers in the Kanchenjunga Himal, of which 17 are debris -covered. Between 1958 and 1992, more than half of 57 examined glaciers had retreated, possibly due to rising of air temperature . Kangchenjunga Main
6528-410: The numbers, having to deal with the problems of light refraction, barometric pressure, and temperature over the vast distances of the observations. Finally, in March 1856 he announced his findings in a letter to his deputy in Calcutta . Kangchenjunga was declared to be 8,582 m (28,156 ft), while Peak XV was given the height of 8,840 m (29,002 ft). Waugh concluded that Peak XV
6624-528: The overlying Qomolangma Formation. The remainder of the North Col Formation, exposed between 7,000 to 8,200 m (23,000 to 26,900 ft) on Mount Everest, consists of interlayered and deformed schist, phyllite , and minor marble. Between 7,600 and 8,200 m (24,900 and 26,900 ft), the North Col Formation consists chiefly of biotite-quartz phyllite and chlorite-biotite phyllite intercalated with minor amounts of biotite- sericite -quartz schist. Between 7,000 and 7,600 m (23,000 and 24,900 ft),
6720-660: The peak. Nicolson retreated to Patna on the Ganges to perform the necessary calculations based on his observations. His raw data gave an average height of 9,200 m (30,200 ft) for peak "b", but this did not consider light refraction , which distorts heights. However, the number clearly indicated that peak "b" was higher than Kangchenjunga. Nicolson contracted malaria and was forced to return home without finishing his calculations. Michael Hennessy, one of Waugh's assistants, had begun designating peaks based on Roman numerals , with Kangchenjunga named Peak IX. Peak "b" now became known as Peak XV. In 1852, stationed at
6816-444: The planet, located at about 8,430 meters (27,657 feet) above sea level. Set up by climate scientists Tom Matthews and Baker Perry in 2019, this station is positioned just below the summit of Everest, which is the highest point on Earth. As of January 20, 2020, the Balcony Station ceased transmitting data. Because Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world, it has attracted considerable attention and climbing attempts. Whether
6912-492: The snow height (8,848 m, Nepal). In 2010, both sides agreed that the height of Everest is 8,848 m, and Nepal recognises China's claim that the rock height of Everest is 8,844 m. On 8 December 2020, it was jointly announced by the two countries that the new official height is 8,848.86 metres (29,031.7 ft). It is thought that the plate tectonics of the Main Himalayan Thrust and related faults, which form
7008-774: The south between two major detachments. Mount Everest is rising by about 2 mm per year. In respect of the recognition of the "highest rocks on the planet" as fossiliferous, marine limestone, the Ordovician Rocks of Mount Everest were included by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in its assemblage of 100 geological heritage sites around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as "a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as
7104-580: The south side to 5,200 m (17,100 ft) on the Tibetan Plateau , yielding a height above base in the range of 3,650 to 4,650 m (11,980 to 15,260 ft). The summit of Chimborazo in Ecuador is 2,168 m (7,113 ft) farther from Earth's centre (6,384.4 km, 3,967.1 mi) than that of Everest (6,382.3 km, 3,965.8 mi), because the Earth bulges at the equator. This
7200-417: The southwest side, a major feature in the lower areas is the Khumbu icefall and glacier , an obstacle to climbers on those routes but also to the base camps. Geologists have subdivided the rocks comprising Mount Everest into three units called formations . Each formation is separated from the other by low-angle faults , called detachments , along which they have been thrust southward over each other. From
7296-653: The spelling used by the Indian Government since the late 19th century. Alternative spellings include Kanchenjunga, Khangchendzonga and Kangchendzönga. The brothers Hermann , Adolf and Robert Schlagintweit explained the local name 'Kanchinjínga' meaning "The five treasures of the high snow" as originating from the Tibetan word "gangs" pronounced [kaŋ] meaning snow, ice; "chen" pronounced [tɕen] meaning great; "mdzod" meaning treasure; "lnga" meaning five. Local Lhopo people believe that
7392-541: The study based on satellite data from 1993 to 2018, vegetation is expanding in the Everest region. Researchers have found plants in areas that were previously deemed bare. A minute black jumping spider of the genus Euophrys has been found at elevations as high as 6,700 metres (22,000 ft), possibly making it the highest confirmed non-microscopic permanent resident on Earth. Another Euophrys species, E. everestensis , has been found at 5,030 metres (16,500 ft), and may feed on insects that have been blown there by
7488-520: The summit from the southeast in Nepal (known as the "standard route") and the other from the north in Tibet . While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness , weather, and wind, as well as hazards from avalanches and the Khumbu Icefall . As of May 2024, 340 people have died on Everest . Over 200 bodies remain on
7584-472: The summit is generally about one-third what it is at sea level. The altitude can expose the summit to the fast and freezing winds of the jet stream . Winds commonly attain 160 km/h (100 mph); in February 2004, a wind speed of 280 km/h (175 mph) was recorded at the summit. These winds can hamper or endanger climbers, by blowing them into chasms or (by Bernoulli's principle ) by lowering
7680-705: The summit of Kangchenjunga, three of which are in Nepal from the southwest, northwest, and northeast, and one from northeastern Sikkim in India. To date, the northeastern route from Sikkim has been successfully used only three times. The Indian government has banned expeditions to Kanchenjunga; therefore, this route has been closed since 2000. In 1955, Joe Brown and George Band made the first ascent on 25 May, followed by Norman Hardie and Tony Streather on 26 May. The full team also included John Clegg (team doctor), Charles Evans (team leader), John Angelo Jackson , Neil Mather and Tom Mackinnon. The team first made an attempt on
7776-949: The summit of Mount Everest to its base these rock units are the Qomolangma Formation, the North Col Formation, and the Rongbuk Formation . The Qomolangma Formation, also known as the Jolmo Lungama Formation, runs from the summit to the top of the Yellow Band, about 8,600 m (28,200 ft) above sea level. It consists of greyish to dark grey or white, parallel laminated and bedded, Ordovician limestone interlayered with subordinate beds of recrystallised dolomite with argillaceous laminae and siltstone . Gansser first reported finding microscopic fragments of crinoids in this limestone . Later petrographic analysis of samples of
7872-447: The summit pyramid of Everest. This bed, which crops out starting about 70 m (230 ft) below the summit of Mount Everest, consists of sediments trapped, bound, and cemented by the biofilms of micro-organisms, especially cyanobacteria , in shallow marine waters. The Qomolangma Formation is broken up by several high-angle faults that terminate at the low angle normal fault , the Qomolangma Detachment. This detachment separates it from
7968-536: The survey headquarters in Dehradun , Radhanath Sikdar , an Indian mathematician and surveyor from Bengal was the first to identify Everest as the world's highest peak, using trigonometric calculations based on Nicolson's measurements. An official announcement that Peak XV was the highest was delayed for several years as the calculations were repeatedly verified. Waugh began work on Nicolson's data in 1854, and along with his staff spent almost two years working on
8064-412: The team, John Hartog and Tom Patey , reached the main summit the next day. As well as creating pioneering routes, he helped create new types of " protection " to improve safety on climbs, and is acknowledged to have created some of the first " nuts " by drilling the thread out of engineering nuts and threading the centre with a sling . He started to create and improve climbing gear and in 1966 opened
8160-433: The top of the mountain would remain inviolate. The Indian side of the mountain is off-limits to climbers. In 2016, the adjoining Khangchendzonga National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Kangchenjunga is the official spelling adopted by Douglas Freshfield , Alexander Mitchell Kellas and the Royal Geographical Society that gives the best indication of the Tibetan pronunciation. Freshfield referred to
8256-407: The treasures are hidden but reveal themselves to the devout when the world is in peril; the treasures comprise salt , gold , turquoise and precious stones , sacred scriptures, invincible armor or ammunition, grain and medicine. The Kangchenjunga Himal section of the Himalayas lies both in Nepal and India and encompasses 16 peaks over 7,000 m (23,000 ft). In the north, it is limited by
8352-454: The two peaks West and Kangbachen in Nepal's Taplejung District and the other three peaks Main, Central and South directly on the border. Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world , but calculations and measurements by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1849 showed that Mount Everest , known as Peak XV at the time, is actually higher. After allowing for further verification of all calculations, it
8448-485: The underlying Yellow Band. The lower five metres of the Qomolangma Formation overlying this detachment are very highly deformed. The bulk of Mount Everest, between 7,000 and 8,600 m (23,000 and 28,200 ft), consists of the North Col Formation, of which the Yellow Band forms the upper part between 8,200 to 8,600 m (26,900 to 28,200 ft). The Yellow Band consists of intercalated beds of Middle Cambrian diopside - epidote -bearing marble , which weathers
8544-403: The wind. There is a high likelihood of microscopic life at even higher altitudes. The bar-headed goose migrates over the Himalayas and have been seen flying at the higher altitudes of the mountain. In 1953, George Lowe (part of the expedition of Tenzing and Hillary) said that he saw bar-headed geese flying over Everest's summit. Another bird species, the chough , have been spotted as high as
8640-559: Was conscripted for 18 months in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps , where he spent his free time climbing with friends. Brown broke his leg in three places in a scrum for the tea urn but was back up and climbing three months later. Brown, who was known as "The Master" and "The Human Fly", became famous for climbing during the 1950s. He was a member of the Valkyrie Climbing Club and founding member of
8736-619: Was "most probably the highest in the world". Peak XV (measured in feet) was calculated to be exactly 29,000 ft (8,839.2 m) high, but was publicly declared to be 29,002 ft (8,839.8 m) in order to avoid the impression that an exact height of 29,000 feet (8,839.2 m) was nothing more than a rounded estimate. Waugh is sometimes playfully credited with being "the first person to put two feet on top of Mount Everest". In 1856, Andrew Waugh announced Everest (then known as Peak XV) as 8,840 m (29,002 ft) high, after several years of calculations based on observations made by
8832-451: Was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world , but calculations and measurements by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1849 showed that Mount Everest , known as Peak XV at the time, is actually higher. After allowing for further verification of all calculations, it was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga was the third-highest mountain after Everest and K2 of Karakoram. Kangchenjunga and its satellite peaks form
8928-532: Was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga is the third-highest mountain of the world. The Kangchenjunga is a sacred mountain in Nepal and Sikkim and was first climbed on 25 May 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band , who were part of the 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition . They stopped just short of the true summit, keeping a promise given to Tashi Namgyal , the Chogyal of the Kingdom of Sikkim , that
9024-570: Was officially recognised by Nepal and China. Nepal planned a new survey in 2019 to determine if the April 2015 Nepal earthquake affected the height of the mountain. In May 1999, an American Everest expedition directed by Bradford Washburn anchored a GPS unit into the highest bedrock. A rock head elevation of 8,850 m (29,035 ft), and a snow/ice elevation 1 m (3 ft) higher, were obtained via this device. Although as of 2001, it has not been officially recognised by Nepal, this figure
9120-414: Was the most accurate and precise measurement to date. This height is based on the highest point of rock and not the snow and ice covering it. The Chinese team measured a snow-ice depth of 3.5 m (11 ft), which is in agreement with a net elevation of 8,848 m (29,029 ft). An argument arose between China and Nepal as to whether the official height should be the rock height (8,844 m, China) or
9216-436: Was then considered the highest peak in the world , and with interest, he noted a peak beyond it, about 230 km (140 mi) away. John Armstrong, one of Waugh's subordinates, also saw the peak from a site farther west and called it peak "b". Waugh would later write that the observations indicated that peak "b" was higher than Kangchenjunga, but closer observations were required for verification. The following year, Waugh sent
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