What would happen if Earth’s core stopped rotating?
The Earth consists of the rubble left over from the sun when it was formed from the collapse of a huge cloud of matter.
And this rubble, which has become the earth, revolves around the sun as the water around the hole when it empties a bathtub, and it rotates as it goes.
From the blackest of coals to From blacker than coal to “hell” raining iron … “terrifying” planets where it is impossible to live
And the Earth continued to rotate around its axis and around the sun after its formation, and it will rotate like this for a long time to come.
The Earth rotates steadily once every 23 hours and 56 minutes. During this time, the Earth also moves slightly in its orbit around the sun. This means that it needs to rotate a little more, for about four minutes, until it faces the sun again. Which means that one day on Earth lasts 24 hours.
Moving in space
According to astronomer Jaco van Loon, from Keele University in the UK, the reason the Earth continues to spin is because there is nothing to stop it.
And if you spin a circular object on a playground and let it go, it will eventually stop, because as it rotates, the air and the surface of the playground pushes towards it, causing friction to slow it down.
And the Earth is spinning in space, which is pretty much empty, and there is no air so that it can rush towards the Earth’s rotation and slow it down. However, there is one thing slowing down the Earth’s rotation, and that is the Moon.
What if the earth was flat?!
The motion of the Earth side facing the Moon is not perfectly balanced by gravity, nor is the Earth side opposite the Moon. This imbalance causes ocean tides, which cause the oceans to swell on both sides of the Earth.
As the Earth rotates, these bulges move across the Earth’s surface like a wave, and these waves constantly push against the Earth’s rotation. This slows down the planet’s rotation, which means that Earth’s day lengthens by one second every 50,000 years.
And the only thing that can stop the Earth’s rotation is the collision of another planet. Even if this were to happen, it would most likely change the way the Earth rotates, not stop it completely.
Six months day
If the Earth stopped spinning, humans wouldn’t be suddenly launched into space because of the strong gravity that keeps humans on Earth, according to Van Loon.
However, there would be a lot of changes, assuming we survived the massive planet impact that stopped Earth in its tracks. For example, if the Earth stopped spinning but continued to spin around the Sun, the “day” would last half a year, and so would the night. It can get hotter during the day and cool down more during the night. This would affect the climate on Earth.
What is the longest possible walking path on earth?
The large difference in temperature between day and night can lead to strong winds, which would move warm air towards the cooler night side of the Earth. Winds will also blow from warm regions around the equator to cooler polar regions, and “on Earth that rotates, this does not happen because the winds are sideways.”
East and west winds and winds towards the poles meet, which can create huge eddies of wind the size of entire continents.
There will also be significant changes in the Earth’s magnetic field, which protects humanity from the most harmful aspects of solar radiation.
Van Loon explained that the Earth’s core is part of molten iron, and the Earth’s rotation movement turns this molten iron into a magnet and gives the Earth a magnetic field.
This protects us from harmful radiation that comes from sun particles and cosmic rays from outside the solar system. While the magnetic field prevents radiation from reaching us, it hits the Earth’s atmosphere, and we see it in the form of the aurora borealis: the northern lights or southern lights.
Without the magnetic field, this radiation would reach the Earth’s surface and make people sick, according to Van Loon.
Some birds use the magnetic field to find their way, so without the Earth’s rotation, they would get lost.
And if you didn’t rotate the Earth, the night sky would always show the same constellations of stars, because you would always look out into space in the same direction. This is completely different from seeing the stars as they rise and set during the night, and seeing the different constellations at different times of the year.
Our planet Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, giving us the day and night cycle. But what would happen if the Earth suddenly stopped turning? Would we be able to survive? Let’s take a look.
Loss of Day and Night Cycle
One immediate effect would be the disappearance of the day and night cycle. Half of the planet would be permanently in daylight, while the other half would be in constant darkness. The areas in between, known as the twilight zones, would experience perpetual sunrises and sunsets. This would have a significant impact on our daily lives, as we rely on the day and night cycle for sleep, work, and other activities.
“The day and night cycle is crucial for maintaining our body’s internal clock and circadian rhythm. Without it, we would struggle to regulate our sleep and wake cycles.” — Dr. Michael J. Breus, sleep expert
Disruption in Weather Patterns
The sudden stop in the Earth’s rotation would also cause a massive disruption in weather patterns. The atmosphere is in constant motion, driven by the planet’s rotation. Without this rotation, the winds would stop moving in their current patterns, causing extreme weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes to become more frequent and destructive.
“The Earth’s rotation creates the Coriolis effect, which helps to create the trade winds and other weather patterns. Without it, the atmosphere would be in chaos.” — Dr. Marshall Shepherd, atmospheric scientist
Effect on Oceans
The oceans would also be severely affected. The Earth’s rotation creates tides, which are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. If the Earth stopped turning, the tides would no longer exist, causing the ocean currents to stop moving. This would lead to a decrease in oxygen levels in the oceans, which would affect marine life and have a ripple effect on the entire ecosystem.
“The tides are essential for mixing nutrients and oxygen throughout the ocean, which is necessary for the survival of marine life. Without them, we could see a significant decline in the population of fish and other sea creatures.” — Dr. Sylvia Earle, marine biologist
Effect on Plant Life
The loss of the day and night cycle would also have significant implications for plant life. Plants require a specific amount of sunlight each day for photosynthesis, and a lack of sunlight would cause a decline in their growth and productivity. This, in turn, would affect the food chain and lead to a decrease in the population of herbivores and carnivores.
“Plants are the foundation of the food chain, and any disruption in their growth and productivity could have significant consequences for the entire ecosystem.” — Dr. Peter Raven, botanist
Effect on Human Civilization
If the Earth were to stop turning, it would also have a devastating effect on human civilization. The sudden change in weather patterns, the disappearance of tides, and the decline in plant life would make it challenging to grow crops, obtain freshwater, and generate electricity. The resulting societal collapse would lead to a breakdown in infrastructure and a struggle for survival.
“Our civilization is dependent on a functioning ecosystem, and any disruption to that ecosystem would have dire consequences for our survival.” — Dr. Jane Lubchenco, environmental scientist
If the Earth were to stop turning, it would have catastrophic consequences for our planet’s ecosystem and human civilization. While this scenario is unlikely to occur, it serves as a reminder of the delicate balance that exists on our planet and the importance of taking care of the Earth’s environment.
What is angular momentum?
There is something called linear momentum, which is the product of the body’s mass and its velocity. The passenger in a moving car that suddenly stops will continue to move forward because of the linear momentum.
Angular momentum is a rotational analogue of linear momentum, and is the product of moment of inertia (the rotational force required to rotate the mass) and angular velocity.
“One of the fundamentals of physics is conservation of angular momentum,” Zimpelman told Live Science. “Once something is spinning, you have to apply the same force [in the opposite direction] to stop it from spinning.”
Zimpelman explained that the pieces that separated from the surface will regain some rotation as the Earth and its remnants continue in its path around the sun. Eventually, the planet’s gravitational pull would pull the halo of fragments back together with unexpected effect.
“What Isaac Newton helped us discover using classical mechanics is that the pieces that come together and get close to each other will release some of their energy, and heat things up,” Zimplman said.
Think of it as a meteor streaking through the sky, remnants that end up in the far reaches of the atmosphere and outer space will be pulled to the surface by the planet’s gravitational pull, and release energy upon impact. Constant bombardment of these pieces would turn the crust into a molten “ocean of rock,” Zimpelman said. Eventually, the colliding fragments will be sucked into the molten sea through a process called accretion.
The rapid and devastating transformation would also cause most of the water on the planet’s surface to evaporate, Zimpelman said. While most of this evaporated water will be lost, some may be incorporated into newly solidified minerals, such as olivine. Finally, not all parts will be absorbed through accumulation. Some parts of the planets will be swept away by the moon’s gravitational force, bombarding the nearby satellite and creating countless craters across their surface.
