The world’s tallest mountain could actually be 2km taller than Everest, pictured (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Faced with the classic pub quiz question asking for the tallest mountain in the world, you may confidently answer . But the reality is a bit more complex.
Depending on how you measure and what you define as a mountain, the famous Himalayan peak might not hold the title after all, with the real winner actually situated in the USA.
Mount Everest is indeed the world’s highest mountain, with its peak standing at 8,849m (that’s 8.8km) above the ocean. However, if you consider mountains that begin below sea level, Everest is not the tallest mountain, and is in fact nearly 2,000m behind the real winner.
Mauna Kea has a stake to with its base to summit measuring at a staggering 10,205m — nearly 20 football pitches taller than Everest.
The Mauna Kea Observatory that sits on top of the mountain (Image: Getty Images)
:
The long-dormant in Hawaii is submerged under the Pacific Ocean, with scientists believing the base goes down nearly 6,000m beneath the water, with only 4,205 metres visible above sea level.
Despite being inactive for about 4,500 years, scientists believe the volcano is still very much alive and will erupt one day. A spokesman for the Smithsonian Institution said: “Mauna Kea’s peaceful appearance is misleading. The volcano is not dead.
“It erupted many times between 60,000 and 4,000 years ago, and some periods of quiet during that time lasted longer than 4,000 years. Given that record, future eruptions seem almost certain.
“Before the next one, we should have ample warning provided by our current seismic and geodetic monitoring systems. A number of earthquakes occur beneath Mauna Kea each year, and you can bet that we pay close attention to them. However, they all appear to be associated with tectonic faulting rather than movement of magma.”
Standing at the summit of Mauna Kea, still more than 4000m above sea level (Image: Getty Images)
: [WORLD’S LARGEST] [NEW]
However, the world’s largest astronomical observatory located on the mountain could potentially detect early signs of an eruption due to its sensitive telescopes.
They added: “The telescopes on top of the volcano may be the first to indicate that something is amiss. The coordinates used for tracking their observations will begin to drift unexpectedly as the volcano swells. In a sense, the telescopes will serve as very expensive tiltmeters.”
Another mountain with an interesting claim to be the world’s “highest” is Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador. Due to the Earth’s equatorial bulge, its peak can be said to be the closest to the sun.
Nestled in the Andes, Chimborazo is an inactive volcano boasting a peak 6,310m above sea level. Its unique location just one degree south of the equator – closer than any other mountain – allows Chimborazo to technically lay claim to having the peak closest to the sun.
The world’s highest mountains
1. Everest (Nepal/China)
2. K2 (Pakistan/China)
3. Kangchenjunga (Nepal/Insia)
4. Lhotse (Nepal/China)
5. Makalu (Nepal/China)
6. Cho Oyu (Nepal/China)
7. Dhaulagiri (Nepal)
8. Manaslu (Nepal)
9. Nanga Parbat (Pakistan)
10. Annapurna (Nepal)