Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Earth just stopped spinning? No? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway because it would be absolutely horrifying.
If, by some unforeseen phenomenon, the Earth suddenly stopped spinning on its axis, the level of destruction would be unimaginable and unprecedented.
While we orbit the Sun, our planet also rotates on its axis, giving us day and night as different sides face the Sun or the dark expanse of space.
It might not feel like we’re moving, but in reality, we are rotating at an impressive 1,038 miles per hour.
So, with that in mind, let’s delve into what would happen if the Earth suddenly stopped spinning.
Short-term effects
Imagine for a moment that you’re on a merry-go-round at a fair, spinning rapidly.
If it were to suddenly stop, everyone on it would be violently thrown forward as the ride halts, but they keep moving due to inertia.
The chaos from this would be nothing compared to the cataclysm that would occur if the Earth stopped spinning.
If the Earth suddenly came to a halt, everything on its surface would continue moving at 1,038 mph.
This includes all objects and every person, who would be flung eastward at over 1,000 mph, as described in a video by Insider Tech.
Honestly, you’d probably hope this would be fatal because the aftermath would be even more catastrophic.
On a planetary scale, the oceans and atmosphere would also keep moving.
The result would be winds four times stronger than the strongest wind ever recorded, which was 253 mph.
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Tsunamis would make the largest ones we’ve ever seen look like tiny ripples in comparison, as entire oceans surged over continents, swallowing everything in their path.
And if you think being at the poles would save you, think again. The devastation would be global.
Long-term effects
The Earth’s shape would cause water to concentrate towards the poles, leading to a complete reshaping of the planet’s continental layout.
Entire landmasses would be submerged or drastically altered.
Even if you managed to survive that initial catastrophe, the collapse of weather patterns would lead to the destruction of food chains and our ability to grow food, causing mass starvation and societal collapse.
The Earth’s magnetic field, which protects us from deadly cosmic radiation, would gradually disappear.
Without it, we would be exposed to harmful radiation from space, making life on Earth unsustainable.
The lack of a magnetic field would also affect animals that rely on it for navigation, causing further ecological disruptions.
People who heard about this doomsday scenario were understandably freaked out.
One person wrote: “Well that was truly horrifying and interesting at the same time.”
Another summed up the general sentiment with: “Well f**k.”
