The Top of Mount Everest Was Once the Bottom of an Ancient Ocean, Scientists Say

Did you know that at the top of the highest peak on Earth, Mount Everest, there are fish and sea creature fossils? People wondered why when they found out about this fact, but if you knew how mountains form on the surface of the Earth, then it is just logical why it would have those signs of marine life that should’ve only existed in the oceans.

This is because the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on this planet, was once submerged deep beneath the waves of an ancient ocean. This discovery highlights just how powerful the movement of tectonic plates is and how it can easily shape our environment, such as by creating mountains or turning a seafloor into one.

Fossil Clues at 29,000 Feet

It is clear that this was caused by a massive tectonic movement, but before that, let’s discuss every clue and evidence scientists have found that Mount Everest was once the seafloor of an ancient ocean.

Marine fossils—such as trilobites, crinoids, and ostracods—have been found on the summit. These are all creatures from the seas who lived about 450 million years ago. That was long before the Himalayas existed because these mountainous regions were believed to have begun forming around 40 to 50 million years ago.

The fossils found are embedded in the Ordovician limestone, which also typically exists on ocean floors. These are sedimentary rocks that formed in warm ocean environments through the accumulation of marine life and sediments over millions of years.

The only reason they are on Mount Everest is because they were uplifted to high altitude during the collision of tectonic plates, in this case, the Indian and Eurasian plates. 

Read more: IFLScience

Plate Tectonics in Action

Why Ocean Fossils Exist on the Summit of Mount Everest

Geologists confirm that this ocean-bottom rock was once part of the Tethys Ocean, before 35 to 55 million years ago. This is around the time when the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate, driving the seafloor limestone skyward, forming the Himalayas.

Not all mountains were formed via tectonic plate collision; some are from volcanic emissions and fault line formations, but most of the higher ones are. When two tectonic plate collide they can either fold and form a mountain region like Himalayas or one plate slide under the other creating a volcanic arc like the Andes. Regardless, they can easily raise an ocean seafloor into the skies.

Himalayan Uplift Continues

Another fun fact is that Mount Everest is actually not done growing. Studies are suggesting that due to the continual movements of tectonic plates and erosion-driven rebound, the mountain rises around 0.2–0.5 mm per year.

This is a reminder that Everest is an active, ever-changing geological feature of the Earth, and it is not static. As the ongoing collision is happening, we can expect the mountain to continually grow over time.

Read more: Wikipedia

Ancient Oceans Leave a Mark

450 million years ago, the modern continents had not yet existed. These ancient sediments with fossil remnants of an ancient ocean showcase an imprint of an era where life thrived in shallow seas, and will forever hold the geological history of the planet.

These are all important today for us to understand how Earth’s dynamic shifts over time, and how we can prepare the future for the movements of these megastructures that build the planet’s surface.

STRANGE Things About Mount Everest

Author's Final Thoughts

Who would’ve thought that at the top of the tallest mountain in the world is a place full of remnants of sea creatures and fish that existed hundreds of millions of years ago? The fossils and limestone at 29,000 feet remind us that oceans can vanish, continents collide, and a new peak arises. These discoveries highlight just how dynamic our planet truly is, and that the only constant is change.

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