The “salt water pool” by the sea has disappeared!　Noto Peninsula Earthquake “Seawater level has retreated strangely…” Shocking photo of “sea retreat”.

A shocking sight was seen along the coastline.

The “saltwater pool” is famous for its natural inflow of seawater. All the water had disappeared from there.

It has been more than a month since the Noto Peninsula earthquake struck. While a reporter was in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the earthquake, including a large fire at the morning market, he heard a curious comment from a local resident: “The ‘salt water pool’ is gone.

I wonder if the ‘salt water pool’ is gone too. ……

Salt water pool”?　The locals told me that it was a pool made by excavating a flat reef along the ocean where the waves crash and enclosing it with concrete to take advantage of the natural surroundings. Located at the end of Wajima Port, it is called “Kamogaura Saltwater Pool” and is designated as a registered tangible cultural property (building) because it was built on a unique and unusual terrain.

Is the “saltwater pool” gone, as the locals say? We headed to the site to find out.

A strong odor wafted through the area.

However, the journey was fraught with obstacles. The roads were narrow, and collapsed houses and debris blocked our way. Near the site, a cliff had collapsed, preventing cars from getting through, and we had to walk along the rocky beach.

An empty scenic spot. Occasionally, the sound of the pounding waves would break the silence. At a parking area called “Kamogaura Pocket Park,” a single light car was parked. It must have been abandoned because of the landslide caused by the earthquake.

Walking further along the promenade, we found the “Kamogaura Salt Water Pool. Indeed, there is not a drop of water inside, which should naturally accumulate. …… The saltwater would normally flow in with the ebb and flow of the tide. On the side wall, there are letters 1-6 indicating the course. The reason for the disappearance of the “saltwater pool” is said to be due to the “sea recession,” the unusual recession of the coastline.

According to the Geographical Survey Institute, the Noto Peninsula earthquake caused the ground to rise up to 4 meters. As a result, a vast area of 4.4 km2 (about 90 km, or 94 times the size of Tokyo Dome) was transformed from sea to land. This is why the “saltwater pools” have disappeared.

The original coastline has moved away by up to 240 meters. The average rate of ground uplift is about 1 mm per year. But in just 4 to 5 seconds immediately after the earthquake, uplift of up to 4 meters occurred. A simple calculation shows that 4,000 years’ worth of uplift occurred all at once,” said a reporter from a national newspaper who covered the event.

The seafloor suddenly became land, and many fish and shellfish probably died. There was a strong odor wafting around the area. A “salt water pool” with no water. It was a horrifying scene that reminded us once again of the fury of nature.