Saturday, August 16, 2008

Photos: Tetrapod beaches of Japan





Hit the beach anywhere in Japan, and you are likely to see endless piles of tetrapods -- enormous four-legged concrete structures intended to prevent coastal erosion. By some estimates, more than 50% of Japan's 35,000-kilometer (22,000-mi) coastline has been altered with tetrapods and other forms of concrete.


Future archaeologists might wonder if these structures hint at the existence of a prior technological civilization or if they're merely the result of fortuitous natural forces.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Slow march of the overweight triffids?"

Katie said...

"Future archaeologists might wonder if these structures hint at the existence of a prior technological civilization or if they're merely the result of fortuitous natural forces."

*Snerk*

Lilly said...

I have seen these structures on shorelines in Scandinavia. I was told they were anti-tank structures (ie, to stop the enemy from rolling a tank onto land from a boat at the beach). Are you sure these are not left over from WWII?

Katie said...

Lillylyle, they're not. At keast as far as Japan is concerned. I was stationed there with the Marine Corp about 15 years ago, and they are used mostly to help with beach erosion.