Scientists baffled after discovering Earth has two secret mountains more than 100 times TALLER than Everest
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Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, conquering the world's highest peak has been a goal of almost every mountaineer on the planet. But this famous peak pales in comparison to two secret mountains, which are more than 100 times taller than Everest's 8,800-metre summit.
![[These mountains (red) are hidden beneath the Earth on the boundary between the core and the mantle beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/23/10/94426253-14316417-These_mountains_red_are_hidden_beneath_the_Earth_on_the_boundary-a-9_1737627306488.jpg)
Reaching heights of around 620 miles (1,000km) these continent-sized 'islands' of rock dwarf anything else found on our planet. However, confused adventurers can rest easy. Scientists from Utrecht University have revealed that these gargantuan peaks are not found on our planet's surface.
![[Earth is made up of three layers – the crust, the mantle and the core, which was later separated into 'inner' and 'outer'. These mountains exist in the region where the outer core meets the mantle]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/23/10/40033906-14316417-Earth_is_made_up_of_three_layers_the_crust_the_mantle_and_the_co-a-24_1737627825631.jpg)
Instead they are buried some 1,200 miles (2,000km) beneath our feet. The researchers estimate that the mountains are at least half a billion years old but could date back to the formation of the planet four billion years ago. Lead researcher Dr Arwen Deuss says: 'Nobody knows what they are, and whether they are only a temporary phenomenon, or if they have been sitting there for millions or perhaps even billions of years.'.
![[The mountains are called Large Low Seismic Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) because they slow down passing seismic waves. They are located in an area called a 'slab graveyard' where pieces of the crust sink down towards the core. Since these slabs are colder, waves pass through them much faster]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/23/13/94426257-14316417-The_mountains_are_called_Large_Low_Seismic_Velocity_Provinces_LL-a-53_1737638296721.jpg)
Scientists have discovered two hidden mountains more than 100 times larger than Mount Everest (pictured). These mountains (red) are hidden beneath the Earth on the boundary between the core and the mantle beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean. Earth is made up of three layers – the crust, the mantle and the core, which was later separated into 'inner' and 'outer'. These mountains exist in the region where the outer core meets the mantle.
![[Scientists used the shockwaves from earthquakes to make an image of the planet's interior. They found that waves passed slowly through the LLSVPs but weren't as quiet, or dampened, as they would expect. This suggests that the LLSVPs are both very hot and have a large grain structure which must have formed over billions of years]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/23/13/94426255-14316417-Scientists_used_the_shockwaves_from_earthquakes_to_make_an_image-a-56_1737638296723.jpg)
