Zalzala Koh

Zalzala Koh
Satellite imagery shows the island in the bay west of Gwadar.
Zalzala Koh is located in Pakistan
Zalzala Koh
Zalzala Koh
Geography
Coordinates25°10′58″N 62°16′16″E / 25.182778°N 62.271111°E / 25.182778; 62.271111
Adjacent toArabian Sea
Total islands1
Highest elevation20 m (70 ft)[1]
Administration
Balochistan
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited
Additional information
First appeared 24 September 2013

Zalzala Koh (Urdu: زلزلہ کوہ, Earthquake Mountain) or Zalzala Jazeera (Urdu: زلزلہ جزیرہ, Earthquake Island) was a small island off the coast of the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan which appeared on 24 September 2013 just hours after a powerful earthquake in Blochistan on that day. As predicted by many geologists, the island soon started to submerge, with satellite images indicating the island had sunk 3 m (10 ft) into the sea one month after its initial appearance.[2] By the end of 2016, the island had disappeared.[3]

Formation

Zalzala Koh may have been a mud volcano,[4] 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 was visible from Pakistan's coastline[5] and was 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 were debated, however.[1][6][7][8]

Ecology

While the surface was lifeless, the seas around the island became a haven for fish and other life forms (including the coral Acabaria delicata), which boosted the local fishing industry.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Earthquake Births New Island off Pakistan NASA Earth Observatory, 2013-09-26.
  2. ^ Jabri, Parvez (24 October 2013). "Mud island in Balochistan is sinking". Brecorder.
  3. ^ "Gwadar's quake island disappears". DAWN.COM. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Pakistan earthquake creates new island, 'mud volcano to blame'", NBC News.
  5. ^ Masood, Salman; Walsh, Declan (25 September 2013). "Toll in Pakistani Earthquake Rises Past 300". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Island pops up off Gawadar". Dawn.com. Dawn News. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Island discovered as a result of earthquake in Pakistan". IBNLive.in.com. Press Trust of India. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Deadly earthquake strikes Pakistan's Balochistan". BBC News. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  9. ^ "New Pakistan Island Disappearing". VOA. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2016.