Study proposes link between formation of supercontinents, strength of ocean tides
April 11, 2018,
The cyclic strengthening and weakening of ocean tides over tens of millions of years is likely linked to another, longer cycle: the formation of Earth's supercontinents every 400 to 600 million years, according a new study. The new findings have implications for the formation of our planet, its climate and the evolution of life on Earth, according to the study's authors. The new research suggests long-term changes in tidal energy, which control the strength of the ocean's waves, are part of a super-tidal cycle dictated by the movement of tectonic plates.
When tectonic plates slide, sink and shift the Earth's continents to form large landmasses, or supercontinents, ocean basins open and close in tandem. As these basins change shape, they can strike forms that amplify and intensify their tides.
Read more at:
https://phys.org/news/2018-04-link-formation-supercontinents-strength-ocean.html#jCp
