Recent floods and mudslides in Nepal have attracted global attention. The country’s iconic Mount Everest, also known as Sagarmatha, has long been hailed as the world’s highest peak, but this claim is somewhat complex. According to British media reports, the world’s highest peak might actually be Mauna Kea in Hawaii, not Mount Everest, depending on how the height of a mountain is measured.
The BBC’s Science Focus magazine reported that Mount Everest is recognized as the highest peak above sea level, standing at 8,849 meters (29,032 feet). However, when considering mountains with bases below sea level, it is not the world’s highest peak.
In this regard, the title of the world’s highest peak goes to Mauna Kea in Hawaii, a dormant volcano. Its height from base to summit is 10,205 meters (33,481 feet), surpassing Mount Everest by about 1.4 kilometers.
Nevertheless, over half of Mauna Kea’s mass is submerged under the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 6,000 meters of the mountain is below sea level, with 4,205 meters above sea level.
Although Mauna Kea has been dormant for around 4,500 years, the United States Geological Survey has warned that it “could erupt again.”
In mid-August, Hurricane Lala ravaged the Hawaiian Islands, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and huge waves. Interestingly, Mauna Kea experienced rare August snowfall. Meteorologists attributed this phenomenon to the interaction of moisture and cold air.
According to Science Focus, using the same calculation method, Mauna Loa, an active volcano in Hawaii, ranks as the Earth’s second-highest peak at 9.17 kilometers (with 5 kilometers underwater).
Apart from Mount Everest and Mauna Kea, another mountain can be considered the world’s highest peak, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador. This is due to the Earth not being a perfect sphere and bulging at the equator.
Mount Chimborazo, another dormant volcano, stands at 6,310 meters above sea level. Its unique position close to the equator, technically makes it the peak closest to the sun compared to any other mountain.
This implies that if measured from the center of the Earth, Mount Chimborazo could be considered the highest mountain on Earth. However, measurements are typically based on sea level or elevation from base to summit rather than from the Earth’s core.
Among these three contenders for the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest undoubtedly holds the most prestigious reputation. On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa guide, successfully conquered this renowned mountain.
Last September, Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel made history by summiting Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen and then skiing back down, becoming the first person to achieve this feat globally.