Zalzala Koh

Zalzala Koh (Urdu: زلزلہ جزیرہ‎, Earthquake Mountain) or Zalzala Jazeera (Earthquake Island) was 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 soon started to resubmerge, 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 completely disappeared.[3]

Zalzala Koh
Satellite imagery shows the island in the bay west of Gwadar.
Zalzala Koh
Geography
Coordinates25.182778°N 62.271111°E / 25.182778; 62.271111
Adjacent bodies of waterArabian Sea
Total islandsOne
Highest elevation20 m (70 ft)[1]
Administration
Pakistan
Balochistan
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited
Additional information
First appeared 24 September 2013

Formation

Zalzala Koh may be 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, though.[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. Earthquake Births New Island off Pakistan NASA Earth Observatory, 2013-09-26.
  2. https://www.brecorder.com/2013/10/24/141463/mud-island-in-balochistan-is-sinking/
  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. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  7. "Island discovered as a result of earthquake in Pakistan". IBNLive.in.com. Press Trust of India. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  8. "Deadly earthquake strikes Pakistan's Balochistan". BBC News. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  9. "New Pakistan Island Disappearing". VOA. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
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