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Mount Everest, standing 8.85 kilometers above sea level, is Earth's tallest mountain.

珠穆朗玛峰海拔8.85公里，是地球上最高的山峰。

And Mount Everest is still growing.

珠穆朗玛峰仍在增长。

Mount Everest and the rest of the Himalayas are continuing on an upward movement that began at their birth around 50 million years ago. The mountains are a product of a collision between Eurasia and the Indian subcontinent.

珠穆朗玛峰和喜马拉雅山的其他山峰自大约 5000 万年前诞生以来，一直在继续向上运动。 这些山脉是欧亚大陆和印度次大陆碰撞的产物。

But Everest is growing more than expected. And, scientists now think they know the reason why.

但珠穆朗玛峰的增长速度超出了预期。 而且，科学家们现在认为他们知道其中的原因。

Everest's growth has to do with the major joining, or merger, of two nearby river systems. The Kosi river joined with the Arun river around 89,000 years ago, the researchers estimated.

珠穆朗玛峰的增长与附近两个河流系统的主要连接或合并有关。 研究人员估计，科西河在大约 89,000 年前与阿伦河汇合。

This change in the area's river system has led to Everest gaining around 15-50 meters in height.

该地区河流系统的变化导致珠穆朗玛峰高度增加了约 15-50 米。

That suggests an upward movement rate of about 0.2-0.5 millimeters per year.

这表明每年向上移动的速度约为 0.2-0.5 毫米。

The geological process at work, researchers said, is called isostatic rebound.

研究人员表示，起作用的地质过程称为等静压回弹。