Mount Everest’s towering height isn’t shaped by tectonic forces alone. Its continued growth owes a quiet debt to nearby rivers. These rivers, cutting through deep gorges, have helped lift the mountain skyward over the last 89,000 years.

A recent study in Nature Geoscience reveals a surprising partnership between flowing water and rising rock. As rivers like the Arun and Kosi chip away at the landscape, they set off a chain reaction that helps Everest climb even higher.

When massive amounts of rock are eroded and carried downstream, the ground beneath gets lighter. This triggers what's known as isostatic rebound—an upward flexing of the Earth’s crust in response to the lost weight.

Over time, that rebound adds up. Scientists from University College London (UCL) and the China University of Geosciences say the process has lifted Everest by as much as 50 meters. Though it only rises about two millimeters a year from this effect, that tiny push adds up over millenni