Death zone

Death zone

Death zone (pronunciation: /dɛθ zoʊn/) is a term used in mountaineering to refer to altitudes above a certain point where the amount of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span. This point is generally tagged as 8,000 metres (26,000 feet, less than 356 millibars of atmospheric pressure).

Etymology

The term "Death zone" in the context of mountaineering originates from the word "death" which is derived from Old English 'dēaþ', and "zone" which comes from the Greek word ζώνη (zṓnē), meaning "belt" or "girdle". The term was likely first used to describe the lethal conditions at high altitudes during the early days of Himalayan mountaineering.

Related Terms

• Hypoxia (medical)
• Altitude sickness
• Acute mountain sickness
• High-altitude cerebral edema
• High-altitude pulmonary edema

See also

• Effects of high altitude on humans
• Mount Everest
• Eight-thousander

References

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Death zone
• Wikipedia's article - Death zone

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