Nature · Tien Shan · survey references differ from model maximum
Khan Tengri: terrain elevation and local relief
Khan Tengri uses an approximately 7,054-meter surface estimate in EGM2008 from Copernicus GLO-30. The bounded terrain section has about 3,207 meters of local relief above its lowest sampled point. Published summit surveys are separate references.
≈ 7,054 m
Data-derived estimate- Measurement
- Highest sampled surface in the documented Copernicus terrain section · EGM2008
- Subject or version
- Tien Shan · survey references differ from model maximum
- In feet, rounded
- 23,141.8 ft (1 ft = 0.3048 m)
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Terrain boundary, base and datum
- Vertical reference
- EGM2008. Published surveys are separate; no datum conversion is applied.
- Highest sampled surface
- 7053.6 m at 42.211111°, 80.176111°.
- Local base
- 3847.1 m at 42.239722°, 80.108333°. Lowest sampled point within this bounded terrain section.
- Section bounds in WGS84-G1150
- West 80.108194°, east 80.241528°; south 42.179306°, north 42.242361°.
- View and scale
- Orthographic map section facing north. Equal horizontal and vertical map scales. Approximate grid spacing: 22.9 m east-west and 30.9 m north-south. Lower and surrounding terrain omitted.
produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved
A little more perspective
Sebastian Wolf’s 2003 American Alpine Journal mapping-expedition report describes a Kyrgyz survey that put Khan Tengri at 6,995 meters. An earlier 1993 journal account gives either 6,995 or 7,010 meters. This Copernicus section reaches approximately 7,054 meters in EGM2008, above both references. That difference is not evidence of a new summit height: source grids, acquisition periods and reference systems differ, and no datum conversion has been established here.
The local-relief view subtracts the lowest sampled point in this section: 3847.1 meters at 42.239722° latitude, 80.108333° longitude. This produces about 3,207 meters of relief within the stated boundary. It is not a universal mountain base, a route’s total ascent, or topographic prominence.
The rendered surface uses the public 2021 Copernicus release, primarily based on TanDEM-X observations from 2011–2015 with infill from other sources. It is a surface model rather than a current bare-earth survey. Neutral shading explains the geometry without claiming a snow season or photographic ground texture. No datum conversion or summit correction is applied.
Quick facts
Khan Tengri uses an approximately 7,054-meter surface estimate in EGM2008 from Copernicus GLO-30. The bounded terrain section has about 3,207 meters of local relief above its lowest sampled point. Published summit surveys are separate references.
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Sources and measurement notes
- Sebastian Wolf, American Alpine Journal 2003: Tien Shan mapping expedition
- American Alpine Journal 1993: Khan Tengri winter ascent and alternative elevations
- Copernicus DEM: dataset definition, datums and attribution
- Public Copernicus GLO-30 release documentation
- Wikidata: summit-area identity and initial coordinate
- Copernicus source terrain tile 1 (GeoTIFF)
The approximately 7,054-meter raster maximum must not replace the cited 6,995-meter survey report or resolve the older 7,010-meter alternative.
Source review recorded . Maintained by Ishan Karunaratne. Suggest a correction with a source and the exact measurement being compared.