On November 15, 1999, the National
Geographic Society announced at a meeting of the American Alpine
Club that the height of Everest had been measured at 8 850
metres (29,035 feet). Using new
measurement techniques with the help of satellites, Bradford Washburn,
Honorary Director of the Boston Museum of Science, was the first to
announce that the Roof of the World was 2 metres higher than previously
thought. A number of precision instruments were installed on May 5,
1999 (the same day that Bernard reached the summit) by two climbers
and five Sherpas. The scientific team from the University of Colorado
analyzed and compiled all the results to determine the new height
with the utmost accuracy. They also detected a slight north-eastward
movement of the summit. Allen Caroll, Chief Cartographer for National
Geographic, stated that the new results were accurate beyond any doubt.
The previous official measurement of Everest, at 8848 metres, was
done back in 1954 by a team of Indi an geologists using 12 different
surface reference points. Shifting tectonic plates continue to push
Everest upward, along with the whole Himalaya mountain range, at a
rate of 4 to 10 centimetres per year.
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