How tall is a mountain, really?

How tall is a mountain, really?

Mauna Kea is about 4.2 km above sea level โ€” but nearly 10.2 km from ocean-floor base to summit.

The answer changes depending on where you start measuring.

Depends on the measurement reference

Why this is interesting

"How tall is that mountain?" sounds like one question. For Mauna Kea it is at least two, and they have very different answers.

How this measurement works

Summit elevation is measured upward from mean sea level: about 4,207 m. Base-to-summit height is measured from the mountain's base on the ocean floor: approximately 10,211 m โ€” nearly 10.2 km. Most of Mauna Kea is underwater, so the datum you pick changes the answer by more than the height of the visible mountain. We keep both as separate measurements rather than collapsing them into a single "true height", because each answers a different question.

How certain is this?

Depends on the measurement reference โ€” summit elevation and ocean-floor base-to-summit are distinct measurements, both valid.

These are two different measurements of the same mountain and are kept as separate properties: summit elevation is measured from sea level, base-to-summit from the ocean floor.

Sources

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