Residents near Agate Beach in Oregon were shocked when they saw a 66-foot long dock had washed ashore.
The massive dock was spotted earlier in the week floating offshore, a mile north of Newport, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. And upon closer examination it was clear that it wasn't just your ordinary ocean debris. The placard, bearing Japanese writing,  gave them a hint.
A metal placard bearing Japanese writing was found attached to the dock.
Instantly the question was: Is this another giant piece of debris from the tsunami in Japan last year that's made its way to U.S. shores? It certainly wouldn't have been the first time - and likely won't be the last.
Debris from the March 2011 tsunami in Japan began showing up on western U.S. shores  in recent months.
After some testing and translation officials confirmed that the derelict dock was indeed debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan, the parks department said, citing the Japanese Consulate in Portland.
The parks department said they were able to trace the dock back to Japan after having the local Japanese consulate translate the placard which reveals a company name, location and phone number. Havel added that tires on the dock were determined to have come from a company in Japan. And officials testing plants and wildlife found on the dock learned they were native to Japan.
At first residents were told to stay away from the giant dock, which is 7 feet tall and 19 feet wide.
The dock, made of concrete and metal, posed concerns about whether it might be radioactive at first. Oregon parks spokesman Chris Havel told CNN that officials tested the dock for radiation but the tests were negative.
There have been concerns that tsunami debris from Japan could be contaminated by radiation because of problems at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said that it is unlikely that radioactive material will make landfall in North America.
Read more about other tsunami debris and radiation concerns:
Japanese man claims motorcycle that washed up in Canada
U.S. Coast Guard sinks Japanese boat washed away by tsunami
Japanese boat washed away in tsunami spotted more than a year later
Low levels of Fukushima cesium found in West Coast tuna
- CNN's Linda Hall, Shawn Nottingham and Casey Wian contributed to this report.
it's a trap
funny. i agree.
I imagine a year from now debris will still be coming to our shores
..years...
And how much will end up in the north pacific gyre?
Easy answer: Aliens.
Why do you always blame us aliens.....I mean you humans are a paranoid bunch...:-)
66x19x7 ? that's what we call an $1400.00 a month studio apartment in the east village in NYC.
Mine's 350 sq ft and the ceiling's 7ft tall. I'm 6'4. I pay 1400
Prices have really fallen then.
...and a walk-up, at that !
Hardly. That's 1,254 square feet. More like a large 2 bedroom co-op. But I like your comment. Made me realize the scale of this thing.
that's all?
1710sq ft 3 bedroom home with 36×48 garage, 1 acre land. 750 a month "buying", 15 yr mortgage, been 8 years now. means its half paid off. 5.25% intrest. crazy to go 30 years. saving 90,000 in intrest. new york is that good to live in a 350 sq ft cubical? for 1400?
Do they really need to spend the time and money testing plants on it to see where it's from? Just scrap it.
One sprig of invasive plant life could be a huge problem. Heck yeah, check it carefully. Someone once dumped the elodea from their aquarium into a Florida canal, and today . . .
just hope theres no giant jelly fish with it
Anyone check it with a Geiger Counter yet ?
Did you even read the article, or just look at the headline and pictures and think you had it?
"Because of the large size, state park workers are telling residents to stay away from it."
I see no causal relationship here, but okay, if it's large, stay away.
Trojan Horse?
I don't see anything pariculary mysterious about it – tsunami, anyone? – cool, yes, but not mysterious.
S/B 'particularly'
Yeah, how could this have happened? What a huge mystery? *snap* Oh, right, the TSUNAMI. Nevermind.
Slow day? I'm sure there are some news around the world, Obama still thinks he is a good president, Beiden is still talking like a junkie with tourette, Syria is not a play ground....I'm sure you can find something that affects more people than this....then again, this is CNN.....
It is debris from a company destroyed by Bain Capital.
Get back to work, Mario, these drains won't unclog themselves.
Its called news Mario. There is more going on than your hatred for the current administration. The news talks about all kinds of topics. Hey there might even be a topic about how to understand complex civilizations.
CNN = Crappy News Network... all crap 24 hours a day 7 days a week
...and yet here you are, earning them money...everytime someone clicks into a CNN article and sees ads, CNN gets money. You're supporting the very website you claim to hate. Logic fail.
Somebody better call sheriff Joe from AZ. and have this thing arrested, its papers are not in order
2012: A Sea Odyssey
A sea oddity?
"No obvious evidence it crossed the ocean"...Really?...I mean really..? I am sure someone just dragged it out there to dump....
""No obvious evidence it crossed the ocean"...Really?...I mean really..?" It could have used public transportation, or been smuggled in by dock smugglers. Coming this fall: DOCK SMUGGLERS, the new reality show.
Why didn't the photographer get the horizon level??
cuz its cool when things iz crooked. makes up for the lack of scale and a messed up exposure.
Because then dimwits like you wouldnt have any stupid questions to ask.
'cause the artist in him matched the angle of the boat to the sandy beach, not the horizon.
Did you ever think that maybe the beach was sloping?
Because CNN slants to the LEFT!