On September 24, a very large earthquake of magnitude 7.7 hit south-central Pakistan. It caused serious damage, destroyed houses and left over 400 casualities. The seismic waves generated by this earthquake were recorded by seismographs around the world, including the seismic station at Wied Dalam, Malta.
Earthquakes in this region occur due to the ongoing complex collision between the Arabian, Eurasian and Indian plates. As a result of the strong earthquake, a new island emerged off Pakistan in the Arabian Sea.
This is a rare phenomenon when gas and water force mud up to the surface through the sediments, similar to the way lava flows from a volcano. Similar islands formed in the Arabian Sea following strong earthquakes in 1945, 1999 and 2010.