Residents on the east coast of Japan's Hokkaido Island had an unexpected change of scenery this morning after 1,000ft of seabed was forced to the surface overnight.

The extra stretch of coastline on Shiretoko Peninsula near the town of Rausu has risen as high as 50ft from the sea surface in some places, exposing what used to be the ocean floor.

Geologists believe the emergence is a result of a landslide nearby, when melting ice and snow caused a section of land to drop, pivoting the underwater area into the air.

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Surprise! A man stands on a clump of land that emerged overnight along the coastline of Shiretoko Peninsula near Rausu, on Hokkaido Island, Japan

'An aerial survey indicates that the land swell happened as a result of a landslide', local researcher Yoshinori Yajima told the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper after he flew over the area Monday.

The mass, which has risen some 30 to 50ft above sea level, measures roughly 1,000- 1,640ft long, and 100ft wide, a town official said.

The new stretch of land came as a complete surprise to the locals, as there was no indication of the land movement overnight

'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.

The mass, which has risen some 50ft above sea level, measures roughly 1,000- 1,640ft long, and 100ft wide

No clue: Local residents on Hokkaido island say they felt no tremors overnight, or heard any sounds to indicate movement, and that the landmass just appeared

New view: Local residents from Rausu, Hokkaido, take a look at the newly emerged coastline

Authorities have not been able to determine exactly when the landslide hit the snow-covered coastline, but they do not expect it to expand further, said an official at the central government's Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau.

'Our understanding is that this is different from earthquakes,' he told AFP.

It is not believed to be related to the 7.8magnitude earthquake that struck the Kathmandu Valley on Saturday, which so far has claimed more than 4,000 lives.