Mount Everest

Geology is the study of the Earth, the materials of which it is made, the structure of those materials, and the processes acting upon them.Ð' It includes the study of the organisms which inhabit our planet.Ð' A very important part of geology is the study of how Earth’s materials, structures, processes and organisms have changed over time. Out of lot's of research I found that reading about one of the most popular and known mountain in the world has fascinated me. That mountain is Mount Everest.

Almost everyone knows that Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world and climbers from everywhere travel to Everest hoping to earn the distinction of climbing the "World's Highest". Mount Everest is just one of over 30 peaks in the Himalayas that are over 24,000 ft/7315m high. Himalaya is a Sanskrit word meaning, "abode of snow", which is so true. The name of the mountain in Nepal is Sagarmatha, which means "goddess of the sky". The snowfields which dominate many of the peaks in the Himalayas are permanent. Yes, they never melt (not even in the summer). That means there are glaciers in the Himalayas - lots of them. Mount Everest is permanently covered in a layer of ice, topped with snow. The "top" of the mountain at which the elevation was measured can vary as much as twenty feet or more, depending on how much snow has fallen on its peak. Scientists believe that the actual tip of the rock lies tens of feet below the ice and snow on its summit. There are current plans to use ground penetrating radar to get a reading of the actual height of the mountain beneath all that snow. Although the Himalayan Range is only 1,550 miles/2480km long, the average height of all the major peaks in the Himalayas easily makes it the highest mountain range on land.

Indian surveyor Radhanath Sikdar, part of the British-led Survey of India, determined in 1852 that Mount Everest was the tallest mountain in the world and established an initial elevation of 29,000 feet. Mount Everest was known as Peak XV by the British until it was given its current English name of Mount Everest in 1865. The mountain was named after Sir George Everest, who served as the Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843. Local names for Mount Everest include Chomolungma in Tibetan (which means "Goddess mother of the world") and Sagarmatha in Sanskrit (which means "Ocean mother.")

The peak of Mount Everest has three somewhat flat sides; it is said to be shaped like a three-sided pyramid. Glaciers and ice cover the sides of the mountain. In July, temperatures can get as high as nearly zero degrees Fahrenheit (about -18 Celsius). In January, temperatures drop to as low as -76Ð'oF (-60Ð'oC).

Your body can change dramatically as you start to get higher and higher on the mountain. Mountaineers climbing Everest establish a camp at the base of the mountain, and four higher camps before reaching the summit. The approximate elevations of each of the camps are: Base Camp - 17,500ft (5,400m), Camp 1 - 20,000ft (6,100m), Camp 2 - 21,300ft (6,500m), Camp 3 - 24,000ft (7,400m), Camp 4 - 26,000ft (8,000m). For the next 30 days or so, they will move up, then down again, allowing their bodies to get used to the reduced oxygen content of the air. This process is called acclimatization. Acclimatizing properly is essential to safely ascend to high altitudes. Climbers acclimatize by ascending slowly, resting one day for every 1,000 feet they climb in one day. They drink plenty of liquids and eat healthy food. They also practice a rule of thumb: climb high, sleep low. Climbing high, then descending to lower altitudes allows the body to build up and gain strength with fresh oxygen, digest food better, get sounder sleep and any wounds can heal and they'll feel much stronger by descending. It was also allow them