Subsidence is the motion of a surface (usually, the Earth's surface) as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level.The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation.Ground subsidence is of concern to geologists, geotechnical engineers and surveyors.n Northern Japan, subsidence of 0.50 m (1.64 ft) was observed on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Miyako, Tōhoku, while Rikuzentakata, Iwate measured 0.84 m (2.75 ft).