surface of Mars -- nearly two and a half times the height of Mount Everest. On Earth, you

火星表面 -- 幾乎是珠穆朗瑪峰高度的2.5倍。在地球上，你

would need a spacesuit to survive at that altitude - but could there even be a mountain

需要穿上太空服才能在那個高度生存，但會不會有一座山呢？

that tall here on our home planet?

在我們的星球上有那麼高嗎？

Based on the strength of Earth's gravity and the density and strength of rock, in principle

根據地球引力的強度和岩石的密度和強度，在原則上

you could make a single conical mountain that stretched between New York and Chicago and

你可以做一個單一的錐形山 延伸到紐約和芝加哥之間，並

soared over 45km! That's twice the size of Olympus Mons and definitely dwarfs Everest.

飆升超過45公里!這'是奧林匹斯蒙斯的兩倍，絕對讓珠穆朗瑪峰相形見絀。

However, there are a couple of reasons why we can't actually have that humongous of a

然而，有幾個原因導致我們不能真正擁有那麼龐大的'。

mountain on Earth:

地球上的山。

For one, Earth's crust is made up of continental plates that essentially float in the semi-solid

首先，地球的地殼是由大陸板塊組成的，基本上漂浮在半固態的大陸板塊中。

rock of the mantle below. If you add more weight above the surface, they sink lower

下面地幔的岩石。如果你在地表之上增加更多的重量，它們就會下沉到更低的位置

into the earth's hot interior, and when they sink far enough, they soften and basically

進入地球熾熱的內部，當它們下沉到足夠遠的地方時，它們就會軟化，並基本上

melt. For our conical mountain, that gives a new height limit of just 15km.

融化。對於我們的錐形山來說，新的高度限制只有15公里。

As well, the powerful collision of two tectonic plates, which creates mountains in the first

以及，兩個構造板塊的強大碰撞，在第一時間形成了山脈。

place, also fractures and cracks the rock, weakening its structure and exposing it to

的地方，也會使岩石發生斷裂和裂縫，削弱岩石的結構，使其暴露在

erosion.

侵蝕。

Over millions of years, freeze-thaw cycles pry at these cracks, while winds claw at the

數百萬年來，凍融週期撬動了這些裂縫，而風則抓緊了這些裂縫。

slopes and streams and glaciers carve deep valleys into the mountainside, all weakening

山坡、溪流和冰川在山坡上開鑿深谷，都在削弱

the mountain's support. This can end badly.

山'的支持。這樣的結局可能很糟糕。

For example, 3,764m tall Aoraki/Mount Cook in New Zealand had its top fall off one night

例如，紐西蘭3,764米高的奧拉基/庫克山，有一天晚上，它的頂部掉了下來。

in 1991, trimming it down to a 3,754m mountain.

1991年，把它修剪成一座3754米的山。

Given all the factors that conspire to limit the height of mountains - sinking into the

鑑於所有因素都在限制著山體的高度--沉入了

earth's mantle, fractures, and erosion - I wouldn't bet on our tallest mountains getting

地球的地幔，斷裂，和侵蝕 - 我不會打賭我們最高的山獲得

too much taller than they already are. Then again, Mount Everest is still growing, 50

比它們已經高了太多。話又說回來，珠穆朗瑪峰還在不斷地增長， 50

years from now, it could be 30 cm taller than it is today... or it could be a good deal

幾年後，它可能會比現在高30釐米... ...也可能會比現在高很多

shorter. We'll just have to wait around to find out. And, who knows? Maybe we'll be on

更短。我們'就只能等著看了。而且，誰知道呢？也許我們會在

Mars by then, anyway.

反正到時候火星。