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.
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