Japan expands as land rises above sea level at night

Japan's landmass has expanded after a 300-meter-long strip of land emerged overnight and attached to the country's coastline.

A man stands on a newly emerged piece of land at night on the coast near Rausu town, Hokkaido island, Japan. Photo: Asahi Shimbun

In the town of Rausu on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, a strip of land more than 300 meters long has just emerged about 15 meters above the water, revealing what may have been the seabed. This strip of land appeared overnight and there was no sign of soil or rock movement, according to Hokkaido Shimbun.

Residents on the island fear this is a sign of mysterious geological phenomena, leading to earthquakes and tsunamis, similar to the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that occurred in March 2011.

However, geologists believe the phenomenon is the result of a landslide in the nearby area caused by melting snow and ice weakening the slope.

Local authorities have yet to determine when the landslide will reach the snow-covered coastline, but they do not expect it to spread further, an official at the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau said.

Rausu isn’t the only place in Japan that’s expanding. An island emerged from the sea nearly 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo in 2013 and is continuing to grow as the volcano at its center erupts.

According to VnExpress