Could China really drill an enormous tunnel through Mount Everest to reach Nepal?

If you thought climbing Mount Everest seemed difficult, how about going through it? Well, China wants to build a new tunnel to connect to Nepal, and all that's required is boring a hole underneath the world's largest mountain.

The rub here is that the mountain is still shifting and settling because the Himalayas are among the planet's youngest mountain ranges. The tunnel would be subject to a serious amount of settling and there's no saying what sort of environmental impact that it could have on the mountain itself.

If successful, the tunnel would facilitate overland rail travel via the treacherous terrain and open up Nepal to China's burgeoning middle class. Considering China's appetite for mega infrastructure projects, the largest of which is the ongoing effort to build the world's most far-reaching high-speed rail network, this proposal isn't that shocking.

The geo-political reasoning is also strong for China as it seeks to influence Nepal, a country that has traditionally been closer to India. Nothing like an insanely expensive tunnel — and the resulting tourism dollars – to bring two countries together.