Could moving the Moon actually reset a civilization?

The inverse-cube part is basically about how the Moon’s tidal pull changes with distance. That does not translate directly into a predictable number of times higher water at every coast. Ocean shape, depth, rotation, and local resonances all matter, so the outcome would vary a lot by region.

Getting the Moon substantially closer or changing its orbit would also take an enormous amount of energy. A close approach might create severe, repeated disruption, but it would be a planetary-scale intervention, not a neat way to flood just the places where people live.

Even if the orbit-changing part were granted, “wipe out coastal settlements” is not the same as “reset civilization.” People could move inland, and a society spread across different environments would not all face the same danger. A global event strong enough to repeatedly reshape coastlines could also disrupt ecosystems and food supplies on a much wider scale.

And it would not necessarily erase the evidence. Sediment layers, unusual erosion, and other geological changes could persist, though later natural processes would make them hard to interpret. That makes the idea an interesting scenario, but not a simple explanation for missing traces.

For me, the biggest snag is that the Moon is not a subtle tool. Moving it enough to cause extreme tides would affect the whole Earth system, and the effects would depend on where and when those tides met the coast. It sounds less like a selective civilization reset and more like a very conspicuous planetary catastrophe.

If the premise allows an intelligence powerful enough to rearrange a major orbit, almost any outcome can be imagined. The useful question then becomes what independent evidence would distinguish that story from ordinary geological change. Without that, it stays speculative rather than an explanation supported by the scenario alone.