By TOSHIYUKI HAYASHI/ Staff Writer
January 24, 2024 at 18:18 JST
The famed “Godzilla Rock” in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, has fully emerged from the ocean due to ground upheaval from the New Year’s Day quake. (Toshiyuki Hayashi)
SUZU, Ishikawa Prefecture--A popular monster-shaped outcrop known as "Godzilla Rock" has fully emerged from the sea due to apparent ground upheaval from the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
The giant rock formation was located about 100 meters off the Matsunagimachi district here facing the Sea of Japan before the magnitude-7.6 temblor struck the region on Jan. 1.
The Godzilla Rock rose about two meters above the water before the earthquake, with the rest of the outcrop always submerged even at low tide.
Uplifted by the seismic force of the quake, the rock is completely exposed above the dry coastal area and can be approached on foot.
The pale surface of the rock that was once submerged has been exposed, with dried seaweed clinging to it and small seashells scattered around below.
The giant rock has been a popular tourist attraction since 2003 when Japanese baseball slugger Hideki “Godzilla” Matsui, a native of the prefecture, joined the New York Yankees.
The quake-caused upheaval has dramatically transformed the coastlines of the Noto Peninsula, drying up fishing ports and leaving fishing vessels scattered aground.
In the neighboring municipality of Wajima, shorelines moved up to 240 meters toward the sea, according to the Association of Japanese Geographers.
Overall, the land area of the peninsula has expanded by 4.4 square kilometers, equivalent to more than 90 Tokyo Domes.
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