How and when was the earlier measurement of 8,848 m done?
- This was determined by the Survey of India in 1954, using instruments like theodolites and chains, with GPS still decades away.
- The elevation of 8,848 m came to be accepted in all references worldwide — except by China. Mount Everest rises from the border between Nepal and China.
Need for new measurement:
- The devastating earthquake of April 2015 triggered a debate among scientists on whether it had affected the height of the mountain.
- The Nepal’s government subsequently declared that it would measure the mountain on its own, instead of continuing to follow the Survey of India findings of 1954.
