Mount Everest in the Himalayas is the highest place on Earth—29,035 feet above sea level.
So how is it that the rocks and fossils at its top came from an ancient ocean floor?
Earth’s crust and upper mantle are broken up into seven giant tectonic plates and many smaller ones. The upper mantle beneath the plates is hot and moldable, which lets the plates slide around. Sometimes they pull away, and sometimes they slip past each other. At other times, they collide.
All these movements cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. When plates collide, Earth’s crust may bend and form mountains, like Everest. Tectonic plates in motion have the biggest effect on Earth’s surface.
