Study proposes link between formation of supercontinents, strength of ocean tides

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.