Ask people to name the world's tallest peak and anybody with sound general knowledge will name Mount Qomolangma. But quiz them on its exact 1and many will be not sure.
In 1975, Chinese surveyors 2 that Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) was 8848. 13 meters high. As 3 improved, satellites, photoelectricity, radars and gravity measurement technologies were 4 to get more exact figures. Of course, someone still had to carry 5 to what is the world's rooftop.
In 2005, a Chinese team scaled Qomolangma and found that it was not as high as that, as they 6 the height to be 8844. 43 meters. Scaling Qomolangma is no 7 task. The average air temperature there is -29 degrees Celsius, even four degrees8 than in Antarctica. The snow there is 4 —5 meters thick and hurricane-like 9 blow all the time. Team members were training to 10 the extreme conditions.
In a nutshell, measuring the Qomolangma's height is a tall order, 11 huge amounts of money and human resources, But it is worth the12. Qomolangma is the perfect 13 for observing crustal (地壳的)movements. And changes to the peak's height could 14 whether the two plates are heading toward or away from each other.
Besides, the condition of snow and other natural materials at the top is an indicator of upcoming climate change on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau. That's 15 measuring the Qomolangma's height is so significant. Put to good use, it can benefit mankind.
