What do the colors on the contour map of Mount Everest (8849m) mean?

The contour map uses a hypsometric color scale where green represents lower elevations, yellow and orange indicate mid-range altitudes, and white marks the highest zones near the summit. Thicker contour lines (index contours) are drawn at wider intervals to help you quickly estimate elevation.

What is the contour interval for Mount Everest (8849m)?

The contour map of Mount Everest (8849m) uses a 200m contour interval. This means each line represents a 200m change in elevation. Closely spaced contours indicate steeper terrain, while widely spaced contours show gentler slopes.

What does the elevation profile of Mount Everest (8849m) show?

The elevation profile is a cross-section through Mount Everest (8849m) from west to east, passing through the summit at 8,849m. It reveals the mountain's shape, steepness, and relative height compared to the surrounding terrain. The horizontal axis shows distance in kilometers from the peak.

What is the snow line on Mount Everest (8849m)?

At Mount Everest (8849m)'s latitude (28°), the estimated permanent snow line is approximately 4,500m. Since Mount Everest (8849m) reaches 8,849m, about 4,349m of the mountain extends above the snow line. This is shown as a dashed blue line on the elevation profile.

Why does Mount Everest (8849m) have elongated ridges?

Mount Everest (8849m) was formed by tectonic folding, which compressed rock layers into long, parallel ridges. The contour map shows elongated lines that follow the axis of the fold, rather than circular patterns.

Mount Everest (8849m)

Mount Everest stands at 8849 meters in Nepal, part of the Himalayas, Asia. This peak is classified as a Fold Mountain.

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, its summit reaching 8,849 metres on the frontier between Nepal and Tibet. It belongs to the Mahalangur section of the Himalaya and is one of the fourteen eight-thousanders, as well as the highest of the Seven Summits sought by climbers aiming for the top of each continent. As a fold mountain, it was lifted by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Rated grade 4 on the site's five-point difficulty scale, an ascent is technical rather than strictly extreme, though the thin air above the Khumbu makes it lethal for the unprepared. Everest draws hundreds of expeditions each season, most following the South Col route from Nepal or the North Col from the Tibetan side.

Elevation

8849 m

Prominence

— m

Coordinates

27.988056, 86.925278

Type

fold_mountain

On this page

Elevation Comparison

Seven Summit Eight-Thousander

About This Mountain

Mount Everest (8849m) is a fold mountain in the Himalayas, Nepal. Grade 4/5: technical ascent requiring mountaineering skills and equipment. The highest point on Earth, it dominates the Khumbu region and draws hundreds of expeditions annually.

Routes

South Col Route (Mount Everest) 4

65.00 km · 480.0h

North Ridge Route (Mount Everest) 5

55.00 km · 480.0h

Seasonal Conditions

Topographic Analysis

Contour Map

The topographic contour map of Mount Everest (8849m) in the Himalayas shows elongated parallel contours following the ridge axis. Contour lines are drawn at 200m intervals, with index contours (thicker lines) every 1000m. The hypsometric color scale ranges from green (lower elevations) through yellow and orange to white (highest elevations near the 8,849m summit). Above 4,500m, the estimated snow line at this latitude, contours transition to cooler tones indicating permanent snow and ice.

Elevation Profile

The east–west elevation profile of Mount Everest (8849m) in the Himalayas shows the terrain cross-section through the summit at 8,849m. The color gradient transitions from green (valley floor) to white (summit zone), with the red summit marker indicating the peak. The dashed blue snow line at 4,500m marks the approximate elevation above which permanent snow persists year-round.