Mount Chimborazo is the highest point on Earth, but it’s not as tall as Mount Everest. How is this possible?
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2 Answers
Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is the farthest point from the center of the Earth, making it the highest point on the Earth's surface, even though it is not as tall as Mount Everest. This is because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but is slightly flattened at the poles. This means that, at the equator, the Earth's radius is larger than at the poles, making the highest point at the equator farther from the center of the Earth than the highest point at the poles. Therefore, Mount Chimborazo, located near the equator, is farther from the center of the Earth than Mount Everest, which is located near the poles.
Mount Chimborazo, located in Ecuador, has an elevation of 20,548 feet above sea level, making it the highest point on Earth when measured from the center of the Earth. However, Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas, has a higher elevation of 29,029 feet above sea level, making it the tallest mountain in the world when measured from sea level. The reason for this difference is that the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but rather an oblate spheroid, meaning it bulges at the equator and flattens at the poles. This means that Mount Chimborazo is closer to the Earth's center than Mount Everest, giving it a greater overall height from the center of the Earth, but not from sea level.