Wednesday, November 12, 2014

[smjlopks] Tallest mountain ever

What was (or is) the height of the tallest mountain ever to exist on earth?  This may be rather tricky to define because the sea level, the typical reference point to measure the height of a mountain, has changed over geological time due to ice caps.

The general idea is a mountain may only get so tall before its base liquefies due to pressure, so the tallest mountain ever cannot be much taller than Everest.  But how much?

Possibly exclude the hugely non-equilibrium landscape immediately after the giant impact that created the moon.

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