Inspector_Crazy t1_j22wgrq wrote
So, let's raise sea level by 5m. Everest, K2, Fuji, Kilamanjaro, etc all lose 5m of height. Maunakea doesn't. Are we measuring with the right yardstick here?
SeattlePassedTheBall t1_j22wn5y wrote
Not exactly, this yardstick is ignoring sea level outright and just measuring from the base of the mountain to the summit. Everest isn't even the tallest fully above sea level as it starts on a really high plateau, Denali is.
Inspector_Crazy t1_j22wvfu wrote
So why isn't the entire Tibetan Plateau counted as part of this? And for that matter the entire indian subcontinent? Still feels a bit arbitrary.
SeattlePassedTheBall t1_j22xfc8 wrote
It certainly is a bit arbitrary and I'm not sure exactly what classifies as the mountain and what doesn't. Everest extends the furthest above sea level but the Tibetan Plateau is 17k feet above sea level so the mountain is "only" about 12k feet tall. Denali by the same logic is about 18,000.
You can take these shenanigans further too, Everest isn't the furthest from the center of the earth thanks to earth not being a perfect sphere (it is wider at the equator than the poles,) Chimborazo in Ecuador is.
AnAdvocatesDevil t1_j277tqh wrote
The geographic term is "Prominance" and is actually pretty interesting to look up, but basically measures a mountain by the height from the minimum elevation between it and the next highest (parent) peak. Everest is the 'Parent' of every other mountain on earth by this system.
ExtraSmooth t1_j24agch wrote
I thought it was kilimanjaro
SeattlePassedTheBall t1_j24d4le wrote
That's the tallest freestanding mountain, which just means it isn't part of a mountain range. I can't find a source that says it is taller than Denali from base to summit.
ExtraSmooth t1_j24dq4b wrote
Oh okay that sounds right
devilish_enchilada t1_j26w2ru wrote
Fuck yeah! I drove up to Denali like 5 times last summer. Easy drive for me!
Fantastic_Ad1613 OP t1_j22x3zx wrote
>If you're wondering why we’re not talking about Mount Everest, it comes down to size vs altitude. Soaring to 8,848.8 m (29,031 ft) above sea level (asl), Everest – aka Chomolungma or Sagarmāthā – is the world's highest mountain. (Incidentally, Vescovo has also climbed that, back in 2012, which makes him the first person to visit Earth’s highest and lowest points, but that's a whole other story.)
>The top of Mauna Kea falls far below the lofty zenith of its Himalayan rival, however it is more than a kilometre taller than Everest when comparing the two from base to pinnacle.
>But more than half of this dormant volcano lies unseen underwater. Indeed, of Mauna Kea’s c. 10,211 m (33,500 ft) total height, only 4,207 m (13,802 ft) is above the sea. This makes it half the height of the iconic "8,000ers" – the 14 mountains that stretch in excess of 8,000 m (26,247 ft) asl.
TheUmgawa t1_j2386pk wrote
Guinness also has records for things like Most Snails on a Face, so I'm pretty sure they'll give a qualifying award to pretty much anybody who pays their fee.
"Well, you're not the tallest above sea level, and you're not the tallest from base to pinnacle... unless... yes, we'll just count everything all the way to the bottom of the ocean! You are now the tallest. Congratulations. That will be four thousand dollars please."
mfb- t1_j23yro9 wrote
This particular record looks weird (why does a submarine count but a helicopter would not?), but Mauna Kea is frequently recognized as tallest mountain measured from its base (which is kilometers below the ocean surface).
[deleted] t1_j25n7zu wrote
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snow_michael t1_j264fx5 wrote
Guiness Book of Records does not charge for entries
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