Pakistan earthquake: Visiting an island that did not exist a few days ago The BBC's Aleem Maqbool has visited an island that was created off the coast of Pakistan by an earthquake on Tuesday. It is one of the largest islands created this way for decades; the sea bed was raised when two tectonic plates pushed together. Fishermen noticed the new body of land about half an hour after the quake. It is about the size of a football field, and rises about 20 metres (65ft) above sea level. Aleem Maqbool said there was already rubbish on the island from people who have begun visiting it. The island could disappear within a year.