Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30 minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners

so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English.

Today John Russell has a report on the unexpected vast growth of Mount Everest, already the highest mountain on earth.

Brian Lynn presents this week's technology report.

We close the show with the lesson of the day

from Andrew Smith and Jill Robbins. But first, Mount Everest, standing 8.85 kilometers above

sea level is Earth's tallest mountain, and Mount Everest is still growing.

Mount Everest and the rest of the Himalayas are continuing on an upward movement that began at their

birth around 50 million years ago.

The mountains are a product of a collision between Eurasia and the Indian

subcontinent. But Everest is growing more than expected.

And scientists now think they know the reason why.

Evrist's growth has to do with the major joining or merger of two nearby river systems.

The Kossi River joined with the Arun River around 89, years ago, the researchers estimated.

This change in the area's river system has led to Everest gaining around 15 to 50 meters in height.

That suggests an upward movement rate of about 0.2 to 0.5 millimeters per year.

The geological process at work, researchers said, is called isotetic rebound.

Isostatic rebound involves the rise of land masses

on Earth's crust

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