05 February 2013

The highest mountain of Earth.

Commonly, we know that the highest point of the planet Earth is placed on top of Mount EverestIn fact, the top of Mount Everest is the highest point if we take as reference the average level of the oceans.

However, if we take as reference the center of the Earth's volume, it turns out that the highest point is the summit of a volcano, the Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.

In this special classification, several other Andean peaks (and the highest mountain in Africa, the Kilimanjaro) surpass the Everest.

This is because the planet Earth, at its equator, has a bulge due to its rotation. Therefore, its diameter measured along the equatorial plane (12.756 kilometers) is 42,72 km. in excess compared to the diameter measured between the poles (12.713 kilometers). 

As a result of that bulge, the summit of Chimborazo is located farthest away of 2.168 meters from the center of the Earth than the summit of Everest.

P.S.: if (for absurd!) the Earth should stop rotating around its own axis, this will cause a shift of ocean water where the gravity is stronger (due to the oblateness of the Earth's mass), that is, towards the poles. And the scenario that would result would be that shown below:

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