Story highlights Since 1955, Everest's official height has been 8,848 metersStudies show that there might have been some elevation changes over the yearsIn the past, Nepal has rejected height measurements calculated by foreign teams(CNN) Did Mount Everest shrink after Nepal's massive 2015 earthquake? In 1856, Everest's height was first calculated to be 8,840 meters above sea level by a team led by British surveyor Sir George Everest, the man whom the mountain was named after. Later, in 1955, the figure was adjusted by eight meters to 8,848, which has remained the official height to date. Bhatta said his office had been planning to undertake the mission since 2012, but it never materialized. Strong doubts from the international scientific community that Everest's elevation changed after 2015's 7.8-magnitude earthquake gave the department a push to jump-start the project.

Source: CNN June 21, 2017 05:26 UTC