Mountains have always been fascinating. They are incredible mounds of earth, rock, and snow that tower above everything else on earth. They cast their shadows over miles of ground.
This article will tell you about the three tallest mountains.
Judging a Mountain's Height
First of all, there are three ways of judging the height of a mountain.
- The first way is to judge it from sea level; how far it extends above the sea.
- The second way is to judge how tall it is from the base to the peak. Such as with Mauna Kea; it extends out from the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
- The third way is to judge it from the center of the earth to the top peak of the mountain.
The Three Tallest Mountains
There are three mountains that in a way, contest for the title of tallest mountain. The mountains are Mount Everest, Mauna Kea and Chimborazo.
Mount Everest
Also known in Tibet as Chomolungma or Qomolangma
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Mount Mauna Kea
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Chimborazo Volcano
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From sea level, Mount Everest is the king. Her peaks raise 29,028 feet; 8,848 meters from sea level and higher then any other mountain's.
From base to peak, Mount Mauna Kea of Hawaii is king. From her base to the top peak she measures 33,476 feet (10,203 meters).
But from the center of earth to the peak, Chimborazo Volcano is victor over all. Her peaks are a total of 6,310 meters (20,703 ft) from the center of the earth. She also has a a boost due to the bulge of the equator.
Conclusion
- From the center of the earth, Chimborazo Volcano is the tallest mountain.
- From sea level up, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain.
- From the base to the peak, Mount Mauna Kea of Hawaii is the tallest mountain.
Since the other two mountains are the tallest because of the equator and from sea level, I will say that in actual size, Mount Mauna Kea of Hawaii is actually the tallest mountain.
