This Is What Would Happen If the World Stopped Spinning

Earth feels still beneath our feet, but it is constantly rotating. At the equator, the planet spins at roughly 1,000 mph, or about 1,600 km/h. We do not feel that motion because everything around us is moving with Earth at the same time. But if that rotation suddenly stopped, the result would not be a quiet pause. It would be one of the most catastrophic events imaginable.

The effects would depend on how Earth stopped. A sudden stop would be instantly destructive, throwing objects, oceans, and atmosphere eastward with enormous force. A gradual stop would be less immediately violent, but still devastating over time, changing days, nights, weather, oceans, satellites, and possibly even Earth’s magnetic field.