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Marine Limestone: The Highest Rocks in the Planet
Everest Range, Napal and Tibet, China
Description:
Mount Everest is Earth highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal subrange of the Himalayas. The China-Napal border runs across its summit point. It’s elevation of 8,848.86 was most recently established in 2020 by Chinese and Napali authorities.
Geological Description:
The summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, was a sea floor once. The highest rock on Earth, marking the summit of Mount Everest, are Ordovician Limestones, deposited in warm, shallow water sea some 450 Ma ago.
These rocks deposited in an ancient Tethyan Ocean were thrust and uplifted into their present commanding position when Indian plate collided with the Asian continent some 55 million years ago.
A generalized Top to Bottom layers of Mount Everest as seen in photo:
QF: Qomolangma Formation (Everest limestone)
It s the un-metamorphosed layer of limestone here called “QF” for: Qomolangma Formation which forms the summit of Everest. It is separated from the underlying Yellow Band layer by a low angle detachment fault.
YB: Yellow Band
This is the layered bedding. It is limestone, formed from a shallow marine sediment, heated to become marble.
ES: Everest Series
It consists of sedimentary rock which has been metamorphosed at reasonably high temperatures. It is separated fr5om the underlying layer by a low angle almost horizontal fault.
RF: Rungbok formation
The Rungbok Formation consists of “LG” Leuco-granite and gneiss RF is a gneiss: Rock partly melted and metamorphosed under high temperatures.
Fossils:
These rocks still contain the fossils of marine animals such as Brachiopods, Conodonts and Crinoids that occupied tropical habitats during one of the most important intervals in Earth history, the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event.
Marine Limestone: The Highest Rocks in the Planet
Everest Range, Napal and Tibet, China
Description:
Mount Everest is Earth highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal subrange of the Himalayas. The China-Napal border runs across its summit point. It’s elevation of 8,848.86 was most recently established in 2020 by Chinese and Napali authorities.
Geological Description:
The summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, was a sea floor once. The highest rock on Earth, marking the summit of Mount Everest, are Ordovician Limestones, deposited in warm, shallow water sea some 450 Ma ago.
These rocks deposited in an ancient Tethyan Ocean were thrust and uplifted into their present commanding position when Indian plate collided with the Asian continent some 55 million years ago.
A generalized Top to Bottom layers of Mount Everest as seen in photo:
QF: Qomolangma Formation (Everest limestone)
It s the un-metamorphosed layer of limestone here called “QF” for: Qomolangma Formation which forms the summit of Everest. It is separated from the underlying Yellow Band layer by a low angle detachment fault.
YB: Yellow Band
This is the layered bedding. It is limestone, formed from a shallow marine sediment, heated to become marble.
ES: Everest Series
It consists of sedimentary rock which has been metamorphosed at reasonably high temperatures. It is separated fr5om the underlying layer by a low angle almost horizontal fault.
RF: Rungbok formation
The Rungbok Formation consists of “LG” Leuco-granite and gneiss RF is a gneiss: Rock partly melted and metamorphosed under high temperatures.
Fossils:
These rocks still contain the fossils of marine animals such as Brachiopods, Conodonts and Crinoids that occupied tropical habitats during one of the most important intervals in Earth history, the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event.
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