PBS show.....Highest Point in the World???

Question

I watched something on PBS like a month or two ago i think (not really sure because i was just flippin through) Anyways- they were talking about how Mt Everest is the tallest mountain, highest elevation at sea level- something like that, yes we all know. However they said that there is a point higher than Everest because of some bulge in the earth and there is a mountain on that bulge making that the highest point (but not mountain). Does anybody know what im talking about, or saw the show and can help me out??

Answer 1

"The point FARTHEST FROM THE center OF THE EARTH is the summit of Chimborazo volcano in the Andes of Ecuador. Its elevation is only 6,310 m (20,703 ft) but because of its location near the equator it gets a boost from the equatorial bulge caused by the spin of the earth. This bulge makes the earth's radius about 21,000 m (68,900 ft) greater at the equator than at the poles. In fact, the beaches of Ecuador are farther from the center of the earth than is the summit of Mt. Everest."

Answer 2

Since the earth is actually more of a squashed pumpkin the earth bulges around the equator. So the highest point on the earth is Mt.Chimborazo in Ecuador. Mt. Everest would be the highest point from the surface of the earth but Mt. Chimborazo is the highest point from the center of the earth.

Answer 3

The idea is that there might be some feature on the earth's surface which is farther from the center than is the top of Mt. Everest. This could arise because of the earth's bulge, which makes the equatorial radius somewhat larger than the polar radius (by 21,400 meters). Any mountain hoping to use this feature to have a larger geocentric altitude than Everest would have to be significantly closer to the equator than Everest is, and I don't know of any mountains that qualify.
Postscript: Per a prior response, Chimborazo in Ecuador would be closer to the equator than Everest, so could qualify.

Answer 4

The summit of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is farther from the center of the Earth by a couple of km because of the equatorial bulging. But Everest's peak is higher above sea level.

Answer 5

Confusing terminology. Height is measured from mean sea level. Mean sea level follows the bulge of the Earth, giving you a more meaningful measurement for a given locality.

Mt Everest the highest point on Earth (furthest from mean sea level). Mt Chimbarazo in Ecuador is the furthest point from the center of the Earth (mean sea level at the equator is further away from the center of the Earth than mean sea level at Mt Everest's latitude).