01/09/2026
The summit of Everest is made of ancient seafloor.
Right at the top sits the Qomolangma Formation, limestone packed with the remains of sea creatures that died in a warm ocean around 470 million years ago.
That water was the Tethys Sea. Then India slammed into Asia about 50 million years ago and shoved the seabed straight up into the sky.
Climbers standing at 8,849 meters are standing on a graveyard of marine life.
The highest place on Earth used to be the bottom of one.
