Reaching an altitude of 8,848 meters above sea level, Everest overlooks other mountains on Earth and is known as the highest mountain on earth. However, if you measure the distance outward from the center of the Earth, Chimborazo is by far the tallest mountain, as the Earth’s crust is higher near the equator.
The height of Chimborazo when measured from sea level is only 6,268 meters. But it is 2,168 meters higher than Everest when measured from the center of the Earth. This shows that while Everest is the highest peak on Earth, Chimborazo is the mountain that rises the most relative to the center of the Earth.
Mount ChimborazoAfter that comes Mauna Kea, an extinct volcano on the island of Hawai’i. At 4,207 meters above sea level, it doesn’t come close to Everest or Chimborazo by traditional measurement. However, if the water around it is removed, the height of this once hot mountain is actually around 9,330 meters. So it is higher than Everest.
The reason this ancient volcano is so high is that it sits on oceanic crust, which is denser than the continental crust from which Everest emerged. This means that the former cannot be compacted as much as the latter, even if there is a large pile of rocks on it. Ultimately, oceanic crust can support the weight of higher mountains than continental crust can.
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