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What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

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Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#2
>You may be surprised to learn that Everest is not the tallest mountain on Earth, either. That honor belongs to Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea originates deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak.

Can someone explain this? How do you differentiate "the mountain" from "the rest of the earth that it comes out of"?

(Side note: the issue of "tallest mountain", as discussed here, is a great example of dealing with an ambiguous concept and clarifying it by asking what you're trying to do with the answer.)

Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#3
post #2

>You may be surprised to learn that Everest is not the tallest mountain on Earth, either. That honor belongs to Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea originates deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak. Can someone explain this? How do you differentiate "the mountain" from "the rest of the earth that it comes out of"? (Side note: the issue of "tallest mou…

When comparing the actual height of a mountain, they're measured from their base (which is whatever elevation the ground they sit on is) to their peak, rather than just looking at their peak altitude. This is how you compare mountains on other planets, and why Mons Olympus on Mars is the tallest mountain in the solar system. For Mauna Kea, the mountain is taller than it looks because its base sits at the bottom of the ocean, whereas Everest sits on an already-lofty piece of continental plate.

Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#4
post #2

>You may be surprised to learn that Everest is not the tallest mountain on Earth, either. That honor belongs to Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea originates deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak. Can someone explain this? How do you differentiate "the mountain" from "the rest of the earth that it comes out of"? (Side note: the issue of "tallest mou…

Right, basically, in a different context accrding to this principle volcanoes at higher altitudes (say close to andes but not in the andes proper) are not as tall as more coastal/lower altitude volcanoes, if the cone’s rise isn't as high.

Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#5
post #3
post #2

>You may be surprised to learn that Everest is not the tallest mountain on Earth, either. That honor belongs to Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea originates deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak. Can someone explain this? How do you differentiate "the mountain" from "the rest of the earth that it comes out of"? (Side note: the issue of "tallest mou…

When comparing the actual height of a mountain, they're measured from their base (which is whatever elevation the ground they sit on is) to their peak, rather than just looking at their peak altitude. This is how you compare mountains on other planets, and why Mons Olympus on Mars is the tallest mountain in the solar system. For Mauna Kea, the mountain is taller than it looks because its base sits at the bottom of th…

Right, I got that much. I'm asking, how do you rigorously distinguish "the base" from the rest of the earth (or that earth from the mountain itself)?

Edit: IOW, if Kea's base were on some raised ocean floor, when do you count that as part of Kea too?

Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#6
post #3
post #2

>You may be surprised to learn that Everest is not the tallest mountain on Earth, either. That honor belongs to Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea originates deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak. Can someone explain this? How do you differentiate "the mountain" from "the rest of the earth that it comes out of"? (Side note: the issue of "tallest mou…

When comparing the actual height of a mountain, they're measured from their base (which is whatever elevation the ground they sit on is) to their peak, rather than just looking at their peak altitude. This is how you compare mountains on other planets, and why Mons Olympus on Mars is the tallest mountain in the solar system. For Mauna Kea, the mountain is taller than it looks because its base sits at the bottom of th…

Why is "height from the solid matter base" more correct than "height from the non-gaseous matter base" though. From the perspective of humans, who generally live at the border of gaseous matter not the border of solid matter, I think the latter might make more sense.

Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#7
post #3
post #2

>You may be surprised to learn that Everest is not the tallest mountain on Earth, either. That honor belongs to Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea originates deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak. Can someone explain this? How do you differentiate "the mountain" from "the rest of the earth that it comes out of"? (Side note: the issue of "tallest mou…

When comparing the actual height of a mountain, they're measured from their base (which is whatever elevation the ground they sit on is) to their peak, rather than just looking at their peak altitude. This is how you compare mountains on other planets, and why Mons Olympus on Mars is the tallest mountain in the solar system. For Mauna Kea, the mountain is taller than it looks because its base sits at the bottom of th…

I get the impression that the asker knows that but that their question is more like, is there any official way to define where the mountain starts? Could we keep tracking the side of Everest right down into a far-off ocean trench and say it's now the tallest again, it's just also really wide?

I guess you're looking for obvious local minima. If the land slopes back up a lot or stays mostly flat for a long time it's probably not part of the mountain anymore. Would a smaller mountain in the middle of Uluru be measured starting from ground level at the top of Uluru?

Edit: Asker has now confirmed in a separate comment that this is what they meant.

Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#8
post #2

>You may be surprised to learn that Everest is not the tallest mountain on Earth, either. That honor belongs to Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea originates deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak. Can someone explain this? How do you differentiate "the mountain" from "the rest of the earth that it comes out of"? (Side note: the issue of "tallest mou…

[deleted]

Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#9
post #2

>You may be surprised to learn that Everest is not the tallest mountain on Earth, either. That honor belongs to Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea originates deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 33,500 feet from base to peak. Can someone explain this? How do you differentiate "the mountain" from "the rest of the earth that it comes out of"? (Side note: the issue of "tallest mou…

It's wet :) (under water surface)

The claim of the article that mount Everest is the tallest point from the earth's center happens because earth's surface, relative to its size, is as smooth as a billiard ball. Even the tallest mountains are nothing. So high mountains located at the equator can easily "outperform" higher mountains elsewhere.

Re: What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?

#10
post #7
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When comparing the actual height of a mountain, they're measured from their base (which is whatever elevation the ground they sit on is) to their peak, rather than just looking at their peak altitude. This is how you compare mountains on other planets, and why Mons Olympus on Mars is the tallest mountain in the solar system. For Mauna Kea, the mountain is taller than it looks because its base sits at the bottom of th…

I get the impression that the asker knows that but that their question is more like, is there any official way to define where the mountain starts? Could we keep tracking the side of Everest right down into a far-off ocean trench and say it's now the tallest again, it's just also really wide? I guess you're looking for obvious local minima. If the land slopes back up a lot or stays mostly flat for a long time it's pr…

I like your clarification better though!
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