Satellite images have captured stunning changes in the coastline of Japan's Noto Peninsula after a massive earthquake on New Year's Day.
With a strength of 7.6 degrees Earthquake It hit Japan On January 1 around 2:10 a.m. EDT (0710 GMT, or 4:10 p.m. local time in Japan), residents ordered the evacuation of affected coastal areas that had seen a surge. Satellites Images of the area before and after the quake show that the extreme upwelling extended the shoreline by as much as 820 feet (250 metres), larger than the length of two American football fields.
Pictures of the Noto Peninsula in Japan Subscribed to X (Formerly Twitter) By Nahil Belgharza Coastal areas show where the seafloor has risen above the water, creating newly exposed beaches. The images capture the changes to the coastline after the earthquake and tsunami had already subsided, leaving some harbors completely dry and inaccessible to boats.
Related: Astronauts photograph the March 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami from space
The earthquake that struck Japan's Noto Peninsula on Monday was so strong that the coastline moved 250 meters offshore due to a significant rise in the ground. pic.twitter.com/XpxBMLRTUUJanuary 4, 2024
“During a field investigation along the northwestern coast of the Noto Peninsula, we found evidence at 10 sites, from the Kaizu to Akasaki sites, of a cosmic coastal uplift associated with the Noto Peninsula earthquake (M7.6),” researchers from the Earthquake Research Institute said. At the University of Tokyo, he said a permit It's January. 4.
“The estimated cosmic coastal uplift pattern appears to decrease southward from Kiso to Akasaki,” they added.
The area near Akasaki Port also saw a surge of nearly 14 feet (4.2 metres). tsunamiThis is according to field investigations conducted by the university, which revealed the presence of water spots on the walls of the buildings.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)JAXA) The Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) also captured the coastal uplift caused by the earthquake. Satellite images compare the coastline from June 2023 to January 2, showing how the coastline has shifted seaward in multiple areas, including Navune Harbor, Wajima City and Minazuki Bay, according to a permit From the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan.
While satellite images capture significant changes following the Jan. 1 earthquake, investigations along the coast are still ongoing, according to the statement.