Zalzala Koh
 Satellite imagery shows the island in the bay west of Gwadar. | |
  Zalzala Koh | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 25°10′58″N 62°16′16″E / 25.182778°N 62.271111°ECoordinates: 25°10′58″N 62°16′16″E / 25.182778°N 62.271111°E |
| Adjacent bodies of water | Arabian Sea |
| Total islands | One |
| Highest elevation | 20 m (70 ft)[1] |
| Administration | |
|
Pakistan | |
| Balochistan | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
| Additional information | |
| First appeared 24 September 2013 | |
Zalzala Koh (Earthquake Mountain) or Zalzala Jazeera (Earthquake Island) is a small island off the coast of the port city of Gwadar, Balochistan, Pakistan which appeared on 24 September 2013 following an earthquake. As predicted by many geologists, the island has started to resubmerge, with satellite images indicating the island has sunk 3 m (10 ft) into the sea since its initial appearance.[2]
Formation
Zalzala Koh may be a mud volcano,[3] located in the Arabian Sea offshore of Gwadar in Balochistan, Pakistan. It rose out of the water during a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the same province on 24 September 2013.
Ali Rashid Tabriz, the head of Pakistan’s National Institute of Oceanography, said that the surfacing of the island had been caused by an emission of methane gas on the seabed.
Location
The island is visible from Pakistan's coastline[4] and is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the shore, with a height of 15 to 20 metres (50 to 65 ft) a length of 175.7 m (576 ft), width of 160.9 m (528 ft), and a surface of 22.726 m2 (244.62 sq ft) (measured from satellite Pleiades). These figures are still debated, though.[1][5][6][7]
Ecology
While the surface is lifeless, the seas around the island have become a haven for fish and other life forms (including the coral Acibaria delicata), which has boosted the local fishing industry.[8]
See also
References
- 1 2 Earthquake Births New Island off Pakistan NASA Earth Observatory, 2013-09-26.
- ↑ http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/general-news/141463-mud-island-in-balochistan-is-sinking.html
- ↑ "Pakistan earthquake creates new island, 'mud volcano to blame'", NBC News.
- ↑ Masood, Salman; Walsh, Declan (25 September 2013). "Toll in Pakistani Earthquake Rises Past 300". New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ↑ "Island pops up off Gawadar". Dawn.com. Dawn News. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ↑ "Island discovered as a result of earthquake in Pakistan". IBNLive.in.com. Press Trust of India. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ↑ "Deadly earthquake strikes Pakistan's Balochistan". BBC News. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ↑ "New Pakistan Island Disappearing". VOA. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
External links
- "New Island Pakistan". Today News Gazette. Retrieved 25 September 2013.