According to a new study, a river roughly 46 miles (75 kilometers) from Everest was "captured" by another around 89,000 years ago. The erosion from this event carved away a huge gorge, leading to a loss of landmass that made the mountain experience a major growth spurt.

(CNN) - One of Earth’s tallest mountains, Mount Everest, keeps growing taller. Recent GPS measurements showed that Everest was growing at a rate of about 2 millimeters per year rather than the expected 1 millimeter per year. According to new research, this extra lift results from a geological incident.

The world’s tallest mountain is still growing. At 50 million years old and 29,032ft / 8,849m high, the trek to the top of Mount Everest is getting a little longer every year according to new research.

Researchers say that two rivers merged some 89,000 years ago and gave the mightiest peak in the Himalayas a huge growth spurt.

The Kosi River in the Himalayas once captured part of a tributary: the Arun River. It set off a chain of geological events that reshaped — and is still reshaping — the landscape, a new study has found.

Mount Everest is Earth's tallest mountain - towering 5.5 miles (8.85 km) above sea level - and is actually still growing.

Mount Everest has grown by around 15 to 50 metres in the last 89,000 years, and it's increasing every year. Now, scientists think they know

Scientists say Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, is still growing thanks in part to the merger of two river systems tens of thousands of years ago.

Mount Everest is having a growth spurt, but it’s not the only mountain getting taller. The Rocky Mountain ranges we call home, along with the white-capped Everest are still growing. How can something so massive and stoic as mountains continue to grow?

Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, has been growing ever higher for roughly 50 million years. The peak, also called Chomolungma in Tibetan or Sagarmatha in Nepali, is part of the Himalayan range that has been uplifting as the tectonic plate under the Indian subcontinent collides with the rest of Asia.