Scientists suspect that Mount Everest may have shrunk by at least three feet following Nepal’s massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015. Satellite data suggested the mountain may no longer measure 29,029 feet in height.
A team of thirty scientists will be on the mountain this spring, lugging up specialized equipment to precisely measure the mountain. With new technology, they will be able to determine the height of Everest to the centimeter Everest was last officially measured in 1955.
Mount Everest is 700 feet taller than the second tallest mountain, K2 in the Karakoram Range in Pakistan. This expedition could take up to six months due to the extreme conditions needed in order to safely summit the highest mountain on earth. After they place the equipment on the summit, it will take four days to determine the accurate measurement.
Mount Everest sits at the border of Tibet and Nepal, and both the Nepalese and Chinese governments must be consulted in order to conduct the expedition.
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