Mount Everest keeps rising. How did it become Earth's highest peak? We know India slammed into Asia millions of years ago. Tectonic plates squeezed Earth's crust upward. But plate collisions do not tell the whole story. In 2006, scientists made a huge discovery. Researchers found the Andes may have reached much of their towering height in only 7 million years. The findings point to giant deep-Earth mantle blobs adding upward force beneath the crust.