A study shows the earthquake that struck Japan's Noto Peninsula on Monday has expanded the coastline in the area by up to 175 meters.

An investigative team led by Associate Professor Gotou Hideaki from Hiroshima University's graduate school studied the ground shift caused by the earthquake and the effect of tsunami waves in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa, where the quake was centered.

The study was conducted using mainly aerial photos taken after the magnitude 7.6 quake. It covered a stretch of about 50 kilometers of the coastline of the northeastern part of the Noto Peninsula.

Results show the quake raised the ground along nearly all that area, expanding the land. It shifted the coastline seaward by 175 meters in the Kawaura district of Suzu City.

Researchers say that as a result, the ground area expanded by a total of 2.4 square kilometers. Seawater has almost vanished at some ports on the northern coast of the peninsula.

Imagery taken by a French satellite on Tuesday also showed that seawater had disappeared from a port in the Ozawa district in Wajima City. Gotou says this resulted from ground uplift.

Gotou says it is known that a massive earthquake entailing ground uplift has struck these areas several times in several thousands of years, and he believes that a similar tremor occurred this time.

He says his team has also confirmed that tsunami surged inland to a height of up to about 3 meters in the Horyu district in Suzu City.

He notes that active faults, which he says cause very extensive damage when they shift, are located across Japan. He advises people to check if there is one in their neighborhood.