Earth tides are periodic deformations of the solid Earth caused primarily by the time-varying gravitational potential of the Moon and Sun, described quantitatively by tidal potential theory and characterized using Love numbers that parameterize the elastic and anelastic response of the lithosphere, mantle, and core. These deformations manifest as surface displacements, gravity variations, and strain, with amplitudes of up to several tens of centimeters vertically. Earth tides are fundamental in high-precision geodesy, gravimetry, and interferometric strain measurements, and they provide constraints on Earth’s internal structure, rheology, and dissipation through analysis of frequency-dependent tidal responses and phase lags.
Earthquakes occur when the tectonic plates of the Earth's crust shift, jolting past each other in a release of built-up tension. However, other natural forces can also influence seismic activity: Hydrological dynamics, like ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 25, 2026
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Around 14 hours before a partial solar eclipse passed over the Dolomites in Northern Italy, a group of spruce trees showed a sudden, synchronized increase in electrical activity. Previous research by Alessandro Chiolerio ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 6, 2026
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Forecasting volcanic eruptions in time to alert authorities and populations remains a major global challenge. In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers and engineers from the Institut de Physique du Globe ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 29, 2026
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One of the oldest unsolved riddles in planetary science concerns the origin of the moon. Over a century ago, George Darwin proposed that tidal and centrifugal forces on a rapidly rotating proto-Earth caused the moon to be ...
Seismological research is directly related to the incubation, occurrence, and evolution of earthquakes. Scientists seek to reveal potential earthquake precursors by monitoring the stress state of fault zones, thus providing ...
Earth Sciences
May 30, 2025
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Scientists have developed a new method to compute how tides affect the interiors of planets and moons. Importantly, the new study looks at the effects of body tides on objects that don't have a perfectly spherical interior ...
Astrobiology
Nov 7, 2024
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