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Something to do with gravity. Sorry I don’t know the exact answer.
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Matthew & Simon may know the details better, but I think it is the gravitational pull of both the moon and sun, combined with the rotation of the earth. Approximately twice per month the pull of the moon and sun are combined and you get the highest tides (spring tides) and twice per month the opposite occurs and the sun and moon apply opposite force and the tidal change is smaller. The highest tidal range in Australia is in NW western Australia around Derby which is over 10 metres.
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You know, I’ve never really gotten down into the details of tides. If I remember correctly, it has to do with the fact that the difference between the force of gravity due to the moon and that required to cause the system to rotates varies from being positive on the side of the earth that is closest to the moon, and negative on the side furthest away. This causes bulges on both sides (as the force is away from the centre of the Earth).
It is moderately complicated!
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Good responses from Mark and Matthew!
Only thing I would add is that large (king) tides are produced on the new or full moons when the sun and moon’s gravitational pull is combined. While a small (neap) tides are produced during the 1st & last quarters, when the moon`and the sun are at right angles (90 degrees) to one another.
If you want more information this site might help: http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/ 🙂
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Some good answers here already. I’ll only add that high tides do not occur when the Moon’s gravitational pull is the strongest; this means that you may have a high tide and not see the Moon in the sky at all!
This is because of the difference between the solid part of the Earth (the crust) and the ocean. The crust will be deformed a little bit by the tidal force, but the oceans have a lot more room to move, so they “slosh” about a lot more. Because the Earth is rotating, the force is continuously changing, and the water never quite catches up to the crust.
as the Moon pulls gravitationally at the Earth’s crust, the oceans never quite catch up to the
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