WAVE GOODBYE
Sea wipes out island dubbed Earthquake Mountain six years after being created by volcano
THE EARTHQUAKE Mountain, which sprung up in the sea after a devastating earthquake in Pakistan in 2013, has been swallowed by the ocean.
Nasa has released satellite images that show how the island has disappeared over a six year process.
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The island, also called Earthquake Island or Zalzala Koh, was created by a mud volcano.
It appeared just off the coast of Pakistan near the port city of Gwadar after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook the country.
When it was created, the island was 20 metres high, 90 metres wide, and 40 metres long.
Scientists predicted that it wouldn't stand the test of time against the ocean due to its small size.
Waves chipped away at the muddy island for years and by the end of 2016 there wasn't much left to stand on.
The island is now completely submerged under water but that doesn't mean it's gone forever as it can still be seen on satellite photos and it still produces trails of sediment in the sea.
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There are a few mud volcanoes along Pakistan's coast and they are a byproduct of moving tectonic plates.
The Earth's crust is thought to be made up of seven large pieces called plates, which can move around and cause Earthquakes and the formation of volcanoes.
In the case of the mud volcanoes near Pakistan, the Arabian plate is thought to be sinking beneath the Eurasian plate by a few centimetres every year.
This process causes sediment like mud and gases to be pushed up to the surface and new islands can form.
What is a mud volcano?
Here's the facts you need to know...
- Mud volcanoes can form when two tectonic plates move against each other
- This movement can push sediment on the sea bed upwards and also release gases and extreme heat from the Earth's surface
- This extreme heat can turn rocks into magma, which can be released in such large quantities that it ends up reaching the surface
- Once at the surface, the magama cools down and forms islands
- Mud volcanoes are a lot cooler than regular volcanoes and their temperatures can actually be below freezing point
TOP STORIES IN SCIENCE
In other news, Earth had ‘lost continents’ that melted away billions of years before the land we know today existed.
Scientists recently revealed four possible supercontinents that could form on Earth 200million years in the future.
And, Experts have also warned that Europe and Canada could collide thanks to a tectonic plate "splitting right down the middle".
Did you know about Earthquake Mountain before it disappeared back under the sea? Let us know in the comments...
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