After a major earthquake in the coastal town of Gwadar in Pakistan that killed hundreds of people, residents were again shocked to find a new island rising from the sea just more than 1 kilometre from the shore.
Reuters
A local journalist, Bahram Baloch, received a text message from a friend about the sudden appearance of a new island. When he stepped out, he was surprised to see a grey and dome-shaped land mass on the water.
Mr Baloch said Pakistan's new island was like a giant whale rising. Hundreds of people also watched in disbelief from the shore. He and some his friends went to the island on Sept 25 to explore the island and take pictures.
He said the island was around 250 to 300 feet in length and shaped like an oval. It was also 60 to 70 feet above the water. The island had a rough and muddy surface with some areas made of sand. One part of the island appeared to be solid rock.
The island may have emerged due to the strong earthquake in Pakistan. Mr Baloch said he could see dead fish on the island's surface. On the other side of the island, he and his friends could hear the hissing sound of gas escaping.
Reports said that about 60 to 70 years ago, a similar island had emerged from the sea. The elders of named the island Quake Hill or the Zalzala Koh. Locals said the earthquake in Pakistan on Sept 24 had brought the island back to the surface.
Gas emission
Director-General Rashid Tabrez from the Karachi-based National Institute of Oceanography said the island's gas emissions are due to the energy released from the seismic activities of fault lines. The seismic movements activated the inflammable gases in the seabed.
Mr Tabrez said the seabed located near the coast of Makran contains vast deposits of gas hydrates. These are frozen gas that contains large deposits of methane.He explained that when the plates along the fault lines move, they produce heat. As the gas expands, it pushes its way in the fissures of the earth's crust which causes the sea floor to emerge.
A team of the National Institute of Oceanography arrived at a new island that was found yesterday at the coast of Gwadar on Wednesday.According to Geologist Dr Danish, there are stones and mud on the island.There are also traces of methane gas there. Tuesday evening's earthquake , measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale, was so violent, that it has created a new small island from the sea floor.
People walk on an island that rose from the sea following an earthquake, off Pakistan's Gwadar coastline in the Arabian Sea.
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