Key Physics Effects of a Motionless Earth
We generally don’t wonder much about the small things that mother Earth does. One such thing is the Earth’s act of spinning. The Earth keeps on spinning and spinning. Have you ever thought what if Earth stops rotating? This seemingly simple phenomenon of Earth’s rotation is actually extremely crucial for the survival and well being of all the organisms and things on Earth. If the Earth suddenly stops spinning, there will be both short term and long term destruction. The Earth will not be hospitable anymore. However, suppose that instead of suddenly coming to a halt, the Earth’s rotation slowly decreased to zero. What would happen then? In this case, you wouldn't see the sudden destruction, but the long term effects of this would still be deadly. Read on to know in detail what happens when earth stops rotating.
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Earth’s Rotation and the Law of Inertia
Issac Newton formulated three laws of motion. The first law says that every object moving at a constant speed will stay in motion unless it is stopped by an external force. This tendency is called inertia. That is why when a moving bus suddenly stops, the passengers inside it tend to fall forward because their bodies are still in motion.
This same thing happens on a larger scale too. As the Earth rotates, the objects inside it - the rocks, the mountains, the houses, animals, humans - everything rotate with the planet. So when the planet suddenly stops spinning, the effect will be felt on every single thing existing on Earth.
What if Earth Stops Rotating Suddenly
Here is the answer to- ‘what if Earth stopped spinning’-
The law of inertia will do its work. The Earth spins at around 1000 Miles per hour and everything in it spins at the same speed. So when the Earth suddenly stops spinning, the objects inside it will still be moving at the speed of 1000 Miles per hour. Everything that is not strongly rooted to the bedrock would be displaced at a deadly speed. The building would be uprooted, the monuments, the tees - every man-made structure would be uprooted and thrown far far away.
As Neil deGrasse Tyson says, “People would be flying out of the windows.” They would smash with other structures. Other structures would come right towards the people. It would be a tragedy.
The water in the oceans has inertia too. So what if the earth stops rotating? Giant waves will come crashing towards the side submerging everything in the path. The waves will be deadlier than the tsunami. The four major oceans will merge and form two super oceans.
Suppose the Earth stops but the atmosphere in it sustains its motion. In this case, the winds will be moving at 1000 Miles per hour resulting in catastrophic storms.
The Effect on Day and Night
Now that you know the general answer to the question - what if the earth stopped spinning? - let’s delve deeper. Students at first would think that if the Earth stops rotating, the part of the facing the sun will permanently have daylight and the one facing away from the sun will have permanent night. But remember, the Earth has not stopped revolving. So in this case, one half of the Earth will have 6 months of daylight and the other half will have 6 months of night’s darkness - and vice versa. This will have a deep effect on the climate. Some places will be so hot or so cold that they will become inhospitable. The climate variation will create destructive storms.
No Equatorial Bulge
Earth’s rotation creates a centrifugal force and this creates a bulge in the oceans near the Equator. Because of this bulge, there is more water in the oceans near the equator. Once the earth’s rotation stops, the equatorial bulge will cease to exist. The water there will have no less space. So it will move towards the Arctic and the Antarctic poles. This will disturb the status quo there.
Volcanic Eruptions
Suppose the inner core of Earth keeps on spinning despite Earth’s zero rotational speed. In this case, the inner core of the Earth will move vigorously. The lava in the core will try to find any crevice, any gap to keep its momentum. This will result in unorganized volcanic eruptions even from craters that have not erupted for long.
The Decay of the Earth’s Magnetic Field
The formation of Earth’s magnetic field is the result of a dynamo effect created by Earth’s rotation. So here’s another interesting answer to what if the earth stops rotating- the magnetic field will start decaying. As a result, we will be vulnerable to the sun’s harmful rays and solar winds.
It is highly improbable that the Earth is going to stop spinning suddenly. What will happen is - the Earth will gradually stop spinning and the Earth’s rotational speed will be decreasing. In this case, the immediate catastrophic effects will not be there. However, when the rotational speed becomes too low, the long term effects will still be deadly. But that too would happen after millions of years. We would have become way advanced by then to come up with a solution to survive the event.
FAQs on What Happens If the Earth Stops Spinning?
1. What is Earth's rotational speed, and why don't we feel it moving?
The Earth rotates on its axis at a speed of approximately 1,670 kilometres per hour at the equator. We do not feel this incredible speed because everything on the planet, including the atmosphere, oceans, and ourselves, is moving at the same constant velocity. Due to inertia, we move along with the Earth's surface. It's similar to being in a car travelling at a steady speed on a smooth road; you don't feel the motion unless the car accelerates or decelerates.
2. What would be the most immediate and catastrophic effect if the Earth suddenly stopped spinning?
If the Earth suddenly stopped, the principle of inertia would cause everything not securely attached to the planet's bedrock to continue moving eastward at the original speed of rotation. This would result in a number of catastrophic events:
Supersonic Winds: The atmosphere would continue to move, creating winds far stronger than any hurricane, scouring the planet's surface.
Global Destruction: People, buildings, trees, and topsoil would be flung sideways, leading to complete obliteration of all structures and surface life.
Massive Tsunamis: The oceans would surge across the continents, creating tsunamis of unimaginable scale.
3. How would the long-term climate and the cycle of day and night change if the Earth stopped rotating permanently?
If the Earth stopped rotating but continued to orbit the Sun, the concept of a day would drastically change. One day would last an entire year. One side of the planet would face the Sun for six months, leading to extreme heat that would boil the oceans and bake the land. The other side would be plunged into a six-month-long night, causing it to freeze completely. The planet would become tidally locked with the Sun, creating an uninhabitable world with extreme temperature differences between the two hemispheres.
4. What if the Earth stopped spinning for only a single second?
Even a one-second halt would be catastrophic. The sudden deceleration to zero and the subsequent re-acceleration would unleash unimaginable forces. Everything on the surface would be violently thrown eastward due to its momentum, then jerked again as the planet resumed its spin. This would trigger global earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and winds powerful enough to destroy everything. The difference between a one-second stop and a permanent one is minimal in terms of immediate survival; both scenarios are unsurvivable.
5. Would the Earth's gravity disappear if its rotation stopped?
No, gravity would not disappear. Earth's gravity is a direct result of its mass, not its rotation. The gravitational pull would remain almost exactly the same, holding everything to the planet. However, the Earth's spin does create a slight outward centrifugal force, which is strongest at the equator and counteracts gravity by a tiny amount. If the spin stopped, this centrifugal effect would vanish, and you would weigh about 0.3% more at the equator, but gravity itself would still be very much present.
6. How would the effects of a sudden stop differ at the equator compared to the poles?
The effects would be drastically different based on latitude. The rotational speed is maximum at the equator (approx. 1,670 km/h) and decreases as you move towards the poles. At the geographic North and South Poles, the rotational speed is effectively zero. Therefore, if the Earth stopped, the most violent and destructive effects of inertia would occur at the equator. At the exact poles, a person or object would experience very little to no effect, as they are not moving at high speed to begin with.
7. What would happen to the world's oceans if the Earth's rotation ceased?
The Earth's rotation causes a phenomenon known as an equatorial bulge, where ocean water is pulled towards the equator by centrifugal force. If the rotation stopped, this force would disappear. Gravity would then pull the massive volume of water from the equator towards the poles. This would cause a catastrophic global flood, submerging vast areas of land and creating two new super-oceans at the poles, while a new supercontinent would emerge around the now-drained equator.
8. What kind of force in the real world could actually stop the Earth from spinning?
In reality, there is no known natural force that could suddenly stop the Earth's rotation. The planet's spin is a result of the conservation of angular momentum from its formation billions of years ago. To halt this immense momentum, an external force of almost unimaginable magnitude would be required to apply an opposing torque. This scenario remains firmly in the realm of thought experiments, as an event like a perfectly aimed collision with a rogue planet of the right size and speed is not a realistic possibility in our stable solar system.
