This small island appeared off the coast of the port of Gwadar, Pakistan, after a powerful and deadly earthquake jolted the western part of the country on Tuesday.
A Pakistani navy team reached the island by midday Wednesday. To get a better idea of what the island is made of and how permanent it is, scientists will take samples to see whether it is mostly soft mud or rocks and harder material.
The mass of rocks and mud emerged from the Arabian Sea after the 7.7-magnitude quake struck in the remote town of Awaran in Baluchistan province, killing more than 200 people.
Scientists say these types of islands can remain for a long time or eventually subside back into the ocean, depending on their makeup.
The island is about 60 feet high, 250 feet wide and 100 feet long.
'There are stones and mud,' said Pakistani navy geologist Mohammed Danish, warning residents not to try to visit the island. 'Gasses are still emitting.'
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Gunmen shot and killed two people returning from a funeral Monday for Shiite Muslim victims of a massive bombing in Karachi, highlighting escalating sectarian tensions in a city where 48 people were killed the day before.
The bomb exploded Sunday evening as people were leaving a mosque, and underlined the increasing threat Shiites face as Sunni militant groups target them in ever-bolder attacks. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Sunni militant groups who do not consider Shiites to be true Muslims have carried out such attacks in the past.
Thousands of Shiite Muslims turned out Monday to bury their dead and demanded government protection from militant groups.
Some of those attending the funeral set fire to buses in one Karachi neighborhood as they went to the cemetery, said police official Qamar Ahmad.
When they moved through the same area after the funeral, gunmen opened fire on the group and wounded several protesters, he said. Two of the men died and 13 were wounded, said Dr. Saleem Memon, who works at the hospital where the wounded were taken.
