WORLD TOP 50

50 Most Prominent Peaks on Earth

NEWS

Update: May 2007. Based on detailed analysis of several 1" high points provided by NASA, we have revised several elevations. The analysis indicates that Pico Cristobal Colon (World #5) is not higher than 5700m. The previous published elevation of 5775m is not supportable. Mont Cameroon has been revised down to 4040m, from our previous estimate of 4070m; the 4095m "official" elevation is not supportable. The unnamed highpoint atop the Finisterre Range in Papua New Guinea has been downgraded from the 4175m spot elevation on the topographic map to an estimate of 4125m supported by SRTM, and from #38 to #45. Kinabalu has been updated from the old official elevation of 4101m to the new official elevation of 4095m.

A provisional World Top 100 list is maintained by Eberhard Jurgalski, and is available as a downloadable excel file.

This Top 50 list was revised in 2004 by de Ferranti, Jurgalski et. al., following the release of global SRTM data. The list was originally produced in 1999-2001 by Metzler and Jurgalski. The Top 50 list will continue to be revised, as more field data becomes available, and as saddles are methodically checked. Although P-values and rankings may change slightly, we believe it highly unlikely that any new mountains will be added to the list.

There seems to be an increased interest in climbing the mountains highlighted on the World Top 50: In addition to the seven summits, the list includes many of the most famous highpoints around the world. If you have summited eight or more of the peaks, we would like to hear from you. Andy Martin tracks "prominence leaders" on the Front Runner list (offsite).

Prominence values on the following table are partly interpreted from SRTM data, and hence no contour interval error is given. This is similar to the methodology of the ultras project, but different than the method used in the US and Mexico. Where SRTM is used, saddle elevations should be assumed to have an error range of ± 15 m. in steep terrain, and a very small error range in flat terrain.

Send comments, corrections and clarifications to webmaster.

Extensive footnotes follow the list.

revisions December 10, 2007

Rank	Summit Name	Country	Lat.	Long.	Elevation mtrs.	Prom. mtrs.	Saddle mtrs.	Saddle Location	Elevation ft.	Prom. ft.	Notes	Aerial Photo

1	Mt. Everest	Nepal/Tibet	27º59' N	86º55' E	8848	8848	0	HP Asia	29028	29028	[1]	Keyhole
2	Aconcagua	Argentina	32º39' S	70º01' W	6962	6962	0	HP Americas	22841	22841	[2]	Keyhole
3	Mt. McKinley (Denali)	US	63º06' N	151º03' W	6194	6138	56	in Nicaragua	20320	20138	[3]	Keyhole
4	Kilimanjaro	Tanzania	3º04' S	37º21' E	5895	5885	10	nr. Suez Canal	19340	19308	[4]	Keyhole
5	Cristobal Colon	Colombia	10º50' N	73º41' W	5700	5509	191	(local)	18701	18074	[5]	Keyhole
6	Mt. Logan	Canada	60º34' N	140º24' W	5959	5250	709	Mentasta Pass, AK	19550	17224	[6]	Keyhole
7	Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltepetl)	Mexico	19º02' N	97º16' W	5636	4922	714	Champagne, YK	18491	16148	[7]	Keyhole
8	Vinson Massif	Antarctica	78º31' S	85º36' W	4892	4892	0	HP Antarctica	16050	16050	[8]	Keyhole
9	Puncak Jaya	Indonesia	4º04' S	137º11' E	4884	4884	0	HP New Guinea	16023	16023		Keyhole
10	Gora Elbrus	Russia	43º21' N	42º26' E	5642	4741	901	W. Pakistan	18510	15554		Keyhole
11	Mont Blanc	France/Italy	45º50' N	6º52' E	4809	4696	113	(see notes)	15777	15406	[11]	Keyhole
12	Damavand	Iran	35º57' N	52º07' E	5610	4667	943	in Georgia	18405	15311	[12]	Keyhole
13	Klyuchevskaya Volcano	Russia	56º03' N	160º39' E	4750	4649	101		15584	15252		Keyhole
14	Nanga Parbat	Pakistan	35º14' N	74º36' E	8125	4608	3517	Zoji La	26657	15118		Keyhole
15	Mauna Kea	US	19º49' N	155º28' W	4205	4205	0	HP Hawaii	13796	13796		Keyhole
16	Jengish Chokusu (ex. Pik Pobedy)	Kyrgyzstan/China	42º02' N	80º07' E	7439	4148	3291	(local)	24406	13609		Keyhole
17	Chimborazo	Ecuador	1º28' S	78º49' W	6267	4122	2145	nr. Olmos, Peru	20561	13523	[17]	Keyhole
18	Bogda Shan	China	43º48' N	88º20' E	5445	4122	1323	nr. Urumqi	17864	13523		Keyhole
19	Namcha Barwa	China	29º38' N	95º03' E	7782	4106	3676	Lo La	25531	13471		Keyhole
20	Kinabalu	Malaysia	6º04' N	116º34' E	4095	4095	0	HP Borneo	13435	13435	[20]	Keyhole
21	Mt. Rainier	US	46º51' N	121º46' W	4393	4023	370	Armstrong, BC	14411	13196	[21]	Keyhole
22	K2	Pakistan/China	35º53' N	76º31' E	8611	4017	4594	Lo Mustang	28251	13179	[22]	Keyhole
23	Ras Dejen	Ethiopia	13º14' N	38º22' E	4533	3980	553	nr. Lake Turkana	15092	13090	[23]	Keyhole
24	Volcan Tajumulco	Guatemala	15º03' N	91º54' W	4220	3980	240	Isthmus of Tehuantepec	13845	13058		Keyhole
25	Pico Bolivar	Venezuela	8º32' N	71º03' W	4981	3957	1024	(local)	16341	12982	[25]	Keyhole
26	Mt. Fairweather	US/Canada	58º54' N	137º31' W	4671	3955	716	S. of Summit Lake	15325	12956	[28]	Keyhole
27	Yu Shan	Taiwan	23º28' N	120º57' E	3952	3952	0	HP Formosa	12966	12966		Keyhole
28	Ngaliema (Mt. Stanley)	Congo/Uganda	0º23' N	29º52' E	5109	3951	1158		16762	12962		Keyhole
39	Kangchenjunga	India/Nepal	27º42' N	88º09' E	8586	3922	4664		28169	12867		Keyhole
30	Tirich Mir	Pakistan	36º15' N	71º51' E	7708	3910	3798	Baroghil Pass	25288	12827		Keyhole
31	Mt. Cameroon	Cameroon	4º13' N	9º10' E	4040	3901	139	(local)	13254	12798	[31]	Keyhole
32	Mt. Kenya	Kenya	0º09' S	37º18' E	5199	3825	1374	nr. Kilimanjaro	17057	12549		Keyhole
33	Gunung Kerinci	Indonesia	1º42' S	101º16' E	3805	3805	0	HP Sumatera	12483	12483		Keyhole
34	Mt. Erebus	Antarctica	77º31' S	167º11' E	3794	3794	0	HP Ross Isl.	12448	12448		Keyhole
35	Fuji San	Japan	35º22' N	138º44' E	3776	3776	0	HP Honshu	12388	12388		Keyhole
36	Mt. Cook	New Zealand	43º36' S	170º08' E	3755	3755	0	HP South Isl.	12319	12319		Keyhole
37	Jebel Toubkal	Morocco	31º04' N	7º55' W	4167	3755	412	Grand Erg Oriental	13671	12319	[37]	Keyhole
38	Cerro Chirripo	Costa Rica	9º29' N	83º29' W	3820	3727	93	nr. Panama Canal	12533	12228	[3]	Keyhole
39	Gunung Rinjani	Indonesia	8º25' S	116º28' E	3726	3726	0	HP Lombok	12224	12224		Keyhole
40	Pico Teide	Spain	28º16' N	16º39' W	3718	3718	0	HP Tenerife	12198	12198		Keyhole
41	Monte San Valentin	Chile	46º36' S	73º20' W	4058	3696	362	near Lake Tranquilo	13313	12126		Keyhole
42	Gunnbjørnsfjeld	Greenland	68º55' N	29º54' W	3694	3694	0	HP Greenland	12119	12119	[42]	Keyhole
43	Nevado Ojos del Salado	Argentina/Chile	27º07' S	68º32' W	6893	3688	3205	Paso de las Cuevas	22615	12100	[43]	Keyhole
44	Gunung Semeru	Indonesia	8º06' S	112º55' E	3676	3676	0	HP Java	12060	12060		Keyhole
45	Finisterre Range HP	Papua New Guinea	5º57' S	146º22' E	4125	3675	450	Ramu/Markham divide	13533	12057	[45]	Keyhole
46	Ritacuba Blanco	Colombia	6º29' N	72º18' W	5410	3645	1765	Paso de las Cruces	17749	11959	[46]	Keyhole
47	Minya Konka	China	29º36' N	101º53' E	7556	3642	3914	(local)	24790	11949		Keyhole
48	Mt. Ararat (Agri Dagi)	Turkey	39º42' N	44º18' E	5137	3611	1526	nr. Gardaneh-ye-Kuhin	16853	11847		Keyhole
49	Kongur Shan	China	38º36' N	75º19' E	7649	3585	4064	nr. Muztagata	25095	11762	[49]	Keyhole
50	Mt. Blackburn	US	61º44' N	143º26' W	4996	3535	1461	Skolai Pass	16391	11598		Keyhole

FOOTNOTES

Numbering is relative to the rank of the peak.

[1] Everest: 8,848m is still the most frequently cited elevation, although the recent authoritive Bradford Washburn GPS survey supports 8,850m (29,035 ft.). Also refer to the footnote to Everest on the High Asia II page, which highlights the uncertainty inherent in this measurement.

[2] Aconcagua: 6,962m is the most recent elevation, which should probably supercede the 6,959 value. Reference the SIGMA project.

[3] Denali: Convention amongst prominence researchers holds that values should be taken from before a major canal or earthworks project lowered a saddle. Thus the key saddle for Denali is 'naturally' in Nicaragua, even though the Panama Canal cut is now lower. No. 39, Cerro Chirripo is correspondingly assigned the Panama key saddle. The KS value in Nicaragua is in disagreement between SRTM (56m.) and the 1:50,000 AMS quad (50m.-10m.)

[4] Kilimanjaro: The elevation of the Suez Canal cut is functionally zero. A low point of 10m immediately to the west of the canal is assumed to have been the original KS.

[5] Cristobol Colon: This is the HP of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Northern Colombia. Some sources suggest that the nearby 'twin" summit of Pico Bolivar may be higher.

[6] Logan: Extensive investigation by bivouac.com researchers indicates that Mentasta Pass, AK (62:55:26N 143:40:13W) is 709m, making it two meters lower than Broad Pass, AK. Broad Pass has a DEM value of 711m and a USGS 1 inch series value of 716m-15m.

[7] Orizaba: Commonly cited elevations for Orizaba vary by as much as 500 feet. Obviously, most are wrong. There is a decent degree of concurrence between the Mexican topographic survey, SRTM data and recent GPS surveys. We have elected to provisionally go with a 2003 handheld GPS survey by Stephen Brown that provided a value of 5636m/18491'. INEGI topographic maps suggest 5611m/18409'. 3" SRTM data is slightly lower still, although the area of the summit crater is data void. Compare this to the oft cited, but almost certainly wrong elevation of 5700m/18701'. The key saddle, in Canada, was researched by bivouac.com.

[8] Vinson: Elevation based on definitive December 2004 GPS survey. See footnote on Antarctica page.

[11] Mont Blanc: The exact saddle is not determined. We now believe the saddle is the high point along the Volga-Baltic canal at 113m. An alternate location at Lake Kubenskoye (108m) has also been proposed. The lineage of the Scandinavian Peninsula also hangs in the balance.

[12] Damavand: The commonly cited elevation of 5670m is not supported by SRTM data. See note in Wikipedia.

[17] Chimborazo: Elevation of 6267m is based on a 1993 GPS survey by Mike Jenkins. Frequently given elevations of 6310m and 6272m should be considered older and obsolete. The 6267m value is said to be the new "official" elevation. SRTM analysis concurs that the true elevation is close to 6270m. Ecuadorian topographic maps are silent on the subject.

[20] Kinabalu: The new official elevation is 4095m, which should replace the widely published older elevation of 4101m.

[21] Rainier: The key saddle is in the town of Armstrong, BC. The 1:50,000 DEM for BC gives the saddle a low value of 359m (1,178'). According to Robin Tivy, the 1:50,000 Canadian map puts the KS between 360m and 380m. Therefore a new value of 370m (1,214') has been assumed pending further investigation.

[22] K2: Reference is this modern survey that would appear to completely supercede the more well-known 8611 meter measurement.

[23] Ras Dejen: Also spelled Ras Dashen or Ras Deshen. 4533m should be regarded as the authorative survey of the peak. Frequently cited elevations of 4620m, 4600m, 4543m are obsolete.

[25] Bolivar: A 1993 survey sets the official elevation at 4980.8m. This supercedes the old number of 5007m, which was from a 1927 remote survey, prior even to the first ascent. Reference Venezuela government publication, Venezuela Innovadora. GPS readings by John Biggar in 2006 provide us with an elevation of 4979m.

[26] Fairweather: A higher elevation 4,671m has been established in the new TRIM 1:20,000 survey of British Columbia. The saddle is either near Champagne, Yukon (as provided for in bivouac.com), near Summit Lake, BC (as provided above) or local to the mountain. The local pass at 59:13:09N 137:14:49W is only a few metres higher. It is on a glacier that is probably being lowered by global warming (c.f. Norway's ex-HP Glittertinden) and therefore may eventually become Fairweather's saddle, if it has not already.

[31] Cameroon: The true elevation of Mont Cameroon remains a minor mystery. The most frequently cited elevation is 4095.1m, which appears on all of the more recent I.G.N. topographic maps. Other cited values are 4100m and 4070m. Our analysis of data provided by NASA indicates that the proper elevation should be about 4040m. Communication with earth-scientists suggests that a new survey is needed, especially given the frequent volcanic activity.

[37] Toubkal: We are informed that the official elevation of Jebel Toubkal is now 4167m., which supercedes the earlier 4165m elevation.

[42] Gunnbjornsfjeld: The highpoint of Greenland was summited by prominence-researcher Petter Bjorstad in 2004. Bjorstad surveyed the summit as 3694m with handheld GPS, consistent with the modern Danish survey, and substantially different than a widely published elevation of 3753m.

[43] Ojos de Salado: Published maps and tables often award Pissis a higher elevation than Ojos de Salado. We have a report on this question that concludes that Ojos is higher. The most recent Chilean IGM map gives Ojos a spot elevation of 6893m. Numerous independent GPS readings at the summit indicate that it may be slightly higher, but probably within the 6890m-6705m range.

[45] Finisterre Range HP: The 1:100,000 topographic map provides a spot elevation of 4175m. This is not supported by SRTM analysis, which indicates that the highpoint is closer to 4125m.

[46] Ritacuba Blanco: Our given elevation is based in part on a 2006 GPS survey of the summit by John Biggar, which is consistent with SRTM. John has provided us an elevation estimate of 5410m ±15m. This is midway between two wildly divergent frequently quoted elevations. 5493m (18,021') is often quoted. Some Colombia topographic maps provide a spot elevation of 5330m (17,487'). The most recent Instituto Geografico Militar map has a high contour of 5350m which is probably consistent with the 2006 GPS reading.

[49] Kongur Shan: Many sources give the elevation of Kongur at 7719m. The Guide to Mountaineering in China gives 7649m. Confusingly, the authoritive Chinese Snow Map gives both 7719m and 7649m on different sections of the map. After some analysis, we have decided to support the 7649m offered in the guide. Both sources give the elevation of the northeast dome as 7625m. In "Kongur: China's Elusive Summit" Chris Bonington writes that seen from the NE dome "(the main summit) is undoubtedly the highest point on Kongur, though probably by not more than thirty metres or so". Despite clear weather and lack of time, Bonington's party climbed both summits because, on reaching the main summit, they found that they could not be sure that the NE summit was lower. The two summits are ±700m apart; had there been a 94m height difference they would surely have seen clearly that the NE summit was lower.

SOURCES:

Summit elevation sources: Various published maps supplemented by 3" NASA SRTM data, except as noted.
Primary saddle elevation source: 3" NASA SRTM data.
Other saddle elevation sources: Russian military mapping, USGS 1:63,360 (for Alaska), 1:50,000 DEM model of British Columbia, TRIM data.

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