Earth & nature / DAY 36 OF 40
A river can help a mountain rise.
Removing rock can let the crust rebound. Everest is part of the story.
Here's the strange part.
Removing rock can help the crust rise, a little like taking weight off something that can rebound. Modelling of the Arun River system suggests enhanced erosion contributed to uplift around Everest. The estimated current contribution was 0.16 to 0.53 millimetres per year. That is one modelled part of a much larger geological story, not the mountain's entire growth rate. (Nature Geoscience)
The paper models an uplift contribution of 0.16–0.53 mm per year, not an observed extra 2 mm every year. Tectonics and other processes also matter.
REALITY CHECK · TRUE OR FALSE?
Has one river taken all the credit?
The river's modelled uplift contribution is the only cause of Everest's height.
Go straight to the receipts.
Curious about the methods, dates or details? Open the original source and keep the caveat in view.
ORIGINAL SOURCENature GeoscienceOpen publication ↗NEXT IN THE 40-DAY TRAIL / DAY 37Saturn passes the float test. Sort of. ↗