Did Mount Everest Shrink After Earthquake in Nepal?

An expedition team from India is being sent to re-measure the height of Mount Everest to determine if an earthquake in 2015 caused the giant peak to shrink.

A massive, 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal in April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 and injuring another 22,000. It also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, which resulted in the death of 21 individuals – making April 25, 2015 the deadliest day on the world’s tallest mountain. The quake is also considered the deadliest disaster in Nepal since 1934.

The quake has been blamed for shifting the earth beneath the capital Kathmandu a few meters to the south. And satellite data taken shortly after the quake suggested that the event may have shaved off up to an inch from Mount Everest, and there has been debate among scientists ever since.

Officially, the mountain stands at 29,029 feet, but measurements have not been taken for more than 60 years. 

To end the debate, Swarna Subba Rao, India’s surveyor-general, announced that a research team will re-measure Mount Everest. They are set to begin the trek in two months, and will collaborate with the government of Nepal.

The team will spend a month on-site, using GPS equipment and triangulation techniques to obtain updated measurements. The data will be reviewed and released two weeks after the team’s return.