Thanks, Dale. Looks like a good explanation. The earth-model scientists use is full of challenges and incredibly complicated.

Another way to look at this is to NOT look at Mt. Whitney pushing up to 14,505 feet, but that "sea level" (the geoid) has been measured downward, which makes Whitney and every other mountain higher. As your explanation shows, however, it is a lot more complicated than sea-level (the geoid) being measured down, but a combination of scientific measurements and modeling the earth's spheroid, and, on top of everything else, Whitney has risen and is rising, but at at a very tiny rate.

Who is the authority on mountain heights? I believe the US Geological Survey has the final word, but when changes are made, maps and other products are all impacted, let alone market products that Doug Sr. sells in his store that say something else. We don't want to be confused by the facts, right?