The 7.7 quake that shook Pakistan yesterday killed more than 200 people but also gave the country some new land—at least temporarily. Crowds of residents on the coast, far from the epicenter, saw a new island rise from the Arabian Sea after the quake, NBC News reports. Residents say a similar island arose for around a year after a 1968 quake, and experts believe this island is also a temporary formation caused by a "mud volcano" gushing to the surface as the quake destabilized the ocean floor.
During a strong quake, "sandy layers underground are shaken, and sand grains jiggle and become more compact," forcing water up along with mud and sand, a seismologist explains. The death toll from the quake has risen to 208, with almost 400 injured. The army has sent hundreds of soldiers to join rescue operations in a remote area near the border with Iran where the quake collapsed hundreds of mud houses, Reuters reports. (More Pakistan stories.)
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