Aconcagua Higher Now


According to a cooperative research project report, Aconcagua is now 6966.4 meters tall, about 2.4 meters more than the 6964 meters measured in 1989. Further research is planned to determine if this is due to plate tectonics or more accurate modern equipment.

Aconcagua 6964 meters or 6966 meters - 2 meters higher
Aconcagua from near the Horcones Trailhead

“We know it is moving, but it is millimetres per year, not two metres,” said Maria Cristina Pacino, a member of the engineering faculty at Rosario National University.
South African Times Live

While I don’t have access to the original Spanish, and it could be a translation error, but this appears to state that Aconcagua is growing by 2 meters per year? 2.4 divided by 24 (approximate years since the 1989 measurement) equals .1 meters – we’re looking at .1 meters per year here, or 100 millimeters. Anyway, ripping on either the math, logic, or translation aside, how long will it be before it’s a 7000 meter peak in our own Western Hemisphere? Are you looking forward to it?

However tall it is, it’s currently on my Winter 2012/2013 list.


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