The Ground Beneath You Rises and Falls Twice a Day

The ground beneath your feet may feel completely still.

But it isn't.

Twice a day, the solid Earth itself rises and falls by measurable amounts.

The reason is surprisingly familiar:

The Moon.

Just as the Moon's gravity helps create ocean tides, it also produces tides in the solid Earth.

The effect is called an Earth tide, or solid Earth tide.

As the Moon and Sun pull on our planet, the Earth's crust flexes slightly.

In some locations, the ground can move vertically by tens of centimeters over the course of a tidal cycle.

You don't feel it happening.

There is no dramatic shaking.

No sudden drop.

No visible wave sweeping across the landscape.

The movement is incredibly slow and gradual.

But sensitive instruments can measure it.

GPS receivers, gravimeters, tiltmeters, and other geophysical instruments can detect these tiny changes in the Earth's shape and gravity field.

And the phenomenon happens on a planetary scale.

The Earth isn't a perfectly rigid ball.

It behaves more like an enormous, slowly flexing body.

The same gravitational forces that move Earth's oceans also deform the rock beneath them.

The Sun contributes too.

When the gravitational effects of the Sun and Moon interact, the size of Earth tides varies throughout the lunar cycle.

So while you stand in the same place, the ground beneath you is subtly moving.

Up.

Down.

Up again.

The movement is small compared with the size of the planet—but enormous enough to matter to scientists and engineers working with extremely precise measurements.

Earth tides can influence measurements in geodesy, seismology, gravity surveys, GPS positioning, and underground engineering.

They are another reminder that "solid" doesn't necessarily mean motionless.

The ground beneath you is part of a planet constantly responding to forces from space.

You may not notice it.

But the Earth is breathing with the tides.

The Ground Beneath You Rises and Falls Twice a Day.

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