What causes tides on earth?

The moon's gravitational pull on the earth is strong enough to tug the oceans into bulge. (The extra 50 minutes is caused by the distance the moon moves each day as it orbits Earth). The sun and the tides. "Solar tides" are caused by the sun's gravitational pull and are weaker than lunar tides. read more

Earth tide (also known as solid Earth tide, crustal tide, body tide, bodily tide or land tide) is the displacement of the solid earth's surface caused by the gravity of the Moon and Sun. Its main component has meter-level amplitude at periods of about 12 hours and longer. read more

The Earth's oceans respond to the moon's gravitational pull by bulging and dipping as the moon rotates around the Earth. As the ocean bulges toward the moon, a high tide is created. The high tide on the side of the Earth facing the moon is called the high high tide. read more

Gravity is one major force that creates tides. In 1687, Sir Isaac Newton explained that ocean tides result from the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon on the oceans of the earth (Sumich, J.L., 1996). read more