Our moon is moving away from the Earth?

Question

Not much, nothing to get concerned about, it's only a couple of inches a year. But, if the moon is moving away from, in the past, it was closer. Over 4.5 billion years, even a couple of inches a years is a big difference. 500 million years ago, if the moon was 1/4 closer than it is now, the effect on the tides would be such that the whole earth would be completely flooded twice a day.

How do land animals live on land that is being flooded twice a day?

Answer 1

Let's see. The average moon distance today is 238,854 miles

238854 mile x 5280 feet/mile x 12 inches/foot = 15,133,789,440 inches

At two inches per year, 500 million years x 2 = 1,000,000,000 inches

15,133,789,400 - 1,000,000,000 = 14,133,789,400 inches (223,071 miles) that the moon was away from the Earth 500 million years ago, or . . The moon was 6.67% closer 500 million years ago.

Hardly close to your calculation of 1/4 closer. And since gravity is exponential to distance, the total added affect to the "closer" moon would be very little. Enough to make life exciting at the geologic time scale (more volcanic activity, etc.), but not nearly enough to slosh tides over the Earth's land mass.

Perhaps you better quit taking scientific advice from whoever told you that whopper.

By the way, as the moon moves farther from the Earth, gravity has less effect, and the moon moves away at a faster rate. The moon was moving away from the earth at a far slower rate 500 million years ago, so the moon was even closer to the current orbit than I estimated here. But I like your "bigger tide" theory. It would support a higher likelyhood that sea animals would evolve the ability to survive on land (walk, breathe, eat) as the tides recede vast distances and leave sea creatures high and dry.

Answer 2

It's more about an inch a year so the moon 500 million years ago would be closer but not that much. Remember the Earth is only covered by 70% of water, not 90%. The water levels were pretty different 500 million years ago, the contintents were in different places, remember the super continents like Pangea (sp).

Also evolution, it was around 500 million years ago when life began to branch out unto land. It was up until that time, life had advanced no more than bacteria. So by the time life made it's way out of the water, the tides weren't that bad for life. It may have even made things easier, higher tides allowed life an easier trip to the shores.

Answer 3

The Moon isn't being pulled extra away via the solar's gravity. think of roughly it: the Moon and the Earth are at with reference to the comparable distance from the solar, with tiny month-to-month adjustments. The solar IS pulling the Moon, yet it is likewise pulling the Earth with very practically the comparable rigidity consistent with kilogram. meaning that the centripetal acceleration of the Moon is the comparable by using fact the centripetal acceleration of the Earth, and one isn't shifting in the direction of the solar speedier than the different. besides, if that have been the reason, you may anticipate to work out the Moon's orbit turning out to be greater elongated in the direction of the solar. however the Earth-Moon distance is starting to be all over the Moon's orbit, so there could be yet another ingredient at paintings. The Moon motives a tidal bulge in Earth's oceans, meaning that water dealing with in the direction of and faraway from the Moon is stretched out slightly. The effect isn't lots, while in comparison with the diameter of the Earth, yet it somewhat is authentic. If the Earth weren't rotating, the tidal bulge could line up completely with the Earth-Moon line. however, the Earth IS rotating, and it sweeps the tidal bulge forward a tiny bit. by using fact the mass of the tidal bulge is "forward" of the Moon, it motives the Moon to strengthen up in its orbit. an stronger orbital velocity skill a larger orbit, and so each century the Moon strikes slightly extra out by using tide-led to acceleration. of path, kinetic capability can no longer in basic terms be created like that. by using fact the Moon advantageous factors kinetic capability, it robs it from the Earth. by using Earth's tidal interaction with the Moon, the Earth's day is likewise slowly getting longer. we can't see any noticible substitute in our lifetimes, yet in some million years we will could invent new clocks if we are nevertheless around as a species.

Answer 4

When the moon was that close, the atmosphere was still inhospitable to life as we know it.

Answer 5

Have you considered that it may be increasing on a logarithmic scale?

Answer 6

That is not the way it happened. Not an issue

Answer 7

They didn't.

Answer 8

They don't!