India And Nepal Are Remeasuring Mount Everest

The world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, is being remeasured. The task will be approached as a collaborative scientific effort from India and Nepal.

The exact height of the world’s tallest peak has come into question following the devastating 2015 earthquakes in Nepal. Some scientists believe it may have shrunk by up to one metre, while others argue it may have actually grown slightly taller.

So how exactly does one measure the world’s tallest peak? Technology, maths and science, that’s how.

The task will be completed using two methods of measurement. The first will see a team using GPS devices in the Himalayas, while the second will use a more traditional method, triangulation, from seven locations across India and Nepal.

The final height will be confirmed when both methods of measurement have been completed and cross-checked.

Mount Everest was first measured in 1856, nine years after it was first discovered. Mathematician Radhanath Sikda concluded that the mountain was 8848 metres high. The height was rechecked a century later in 1956.

The huge project will be spearheaded by the Nepalese government, India’s ministry of science and technology, the Survey of India, and is aiming to begin in late May or early June.

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