Effect of dilatancy on ocean load tides

Summary The decrease in elastic constants due to dilatancy in the earth's crust may bring about changes of its loading response to ocean tides. The amount of change is estimated by two-dimensional finite element analysis. The results show that if a dilatant zone of thicknessd underneath a coastline extends seaward and under the land, then amplitude changes will be detectable at distances 3d andd inland for strain and tilt tides, respectively. An anisotropic decrease of elastic constants in the vertical direction only will reduce the range by one half at most for strain tides especially.