Mount Everest towers higher than any peak on Earth, a place so far above the ocean that it seems impossible—yet its rocky layers hold fossils of sea creatures that once lived on the seabed. This contradiction stems from the Himalayas' violent birth, when India collided with Asia, driven by shifting tectonic plates. Everest continues to rise, but its growth has a limit: relentless erosion eats away at the summit, balancing the uplift and keeping the mountain from climbing indefinitely.
Show
How the Earth Was Made
Episode
S02E08
Air Date
Jan 19, 2010