Unexplained Coastline Expansion in Eastern Hokkaido Baffle Locals

RAUSU, JAPAN - APRIL 25: People stand on a clump of land that emerged along the coastline of Shiretoko Peninsula on April 25, 2015 in Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan. The unexplained mass measures roughly 300 meters to 500 meters long, 30 meters wide and rises 10 to 15 meters above sea level, a town official said April 25, a day after it was discovered. "The local residents said they didn't hear any sounds and there were no tremors (when the land appeared)," said Katsuhiro Tanaka, the president of the Rausu Fisheries Cooperative Association, who viewed the expanded coastline the day it was discovered. Marine organisms such as seaweed and sea urchins are attached to rocks on the land mass, suggesting it rose out of the ocean. Officials from Rausu have sealed off the area so it can be studied. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)