What would happen if the Earth stopped rotating?

Question

Stopped completely? Or stopped and started to turn in the other direction? Or if it flipped upside down?

Answer 1

one side would burn and the other would freeze.

Answer 2

Earth is rotating at a speed of about 1100 miles per hour. If our planet suddenly stopped rotating, the atmosphere would still be in motion at that speed. The atmosphere would be moving so fast it would literally sweep the land masses clear of anything not anchored to bedrock, this would mean rocks, soil, trees, buildings, people and animals. All would be swept up into the atmosphere.

If the Earth's rotation slowed down gradually over millions of years, and this is the most likely scenario, it would be a very different story. If the Earth slowed down to one rotation every year, called synchronous rotation, every area on Earth would be in either sunlight or darkness for one year. This would be similar to what the Moon goes through where for two weeks the front side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun followed by the front side being in darkness for two weeks.

But what if the Earth stopped rotating completely? In that case, one half the Earth would be in daylight for half the year while the other side would be in darkness. The second half of the year it would be reversed. Temperature variations would be far more extreme then they are now. The temperature gradient would affect the wind circulation also. Air would move from the equator to the poles rather then in wind systems parallel to the equator as they are now.

Even stranger would be the change in the Sun's position in the sky. In the above scenario, Sun would just have a seasonal motion up and down the sky towards the south due to the orbit of the Earth and its axial tilt. You would see the elevation of the Sun increase or decrease in the sky just as we now see the elevation of the Sun change from a single point on the Earth due to the Earth's daily rotation.

Answer 3

well if it stopped, half of Earth would not receive sunlight.
If it turned in any other direction, it would not affect anything else because earth is still turning and the sun and moon still rise and fall. However, the directions will be disorientated and our biological environment will be altered. For example, the animals that live in Antarctica will have to migrate because the temperature there is hot since the sun will be shining on different parts of Earth and the equator will not be as hot. Many things that I didn't think of will happen too. This is all I can provide for you. I hope you understand it.

Answer 4

. If the Earth's rotation INSTANTLY stopped, everything not fixed to the Earth would continue to rotate around at the same velocity that they were before due to conservation of momentum. To us it would feel like a giant earthquake where the Earth would suddenly start "moving" in the opposite direction of the rotation. Buildings would collapse, the oceans would wash up onto land in large tidal waves, and there would be a large atmospheric wind shear at the surface. (The atmosphere is not attached to the planet either and would keep rotating too). Since we are traveling at about 460 m/s at the equator (about 1000 miles per hour) we would be tossed pretty far. (We wouldn't fly off the earth, though. Escape velocity is much higher. "We would be thrown into the wall at 1.5 times the speed of sound as the building was tipped off its foundation."


Well you asked--And i glad you did

Answer 5

One side would have day forever and the other would have night forever if it turned in the other direction than Earth will have a different orbit to all the other planets in our solar system or if it flipped upside down part of Antarctica would melt.

Answer 6

One side of the earth would never have night, and the other would never have day. I dont think anything would happen if it flipped upside down.. that is something to think about though... good question!

Answer 7

Apart from massive temperature changes, there would be massive tectonic plate movements that lead to gigantic earthquakes and more than likely huge volanic eruptions.

The atmosphere would dissapear in to space and all life would end. Once the atmosphere had gone the water would also dissipate in to space, so in a very short time the earth would just be a barren rock.

Answer 8

stopped completly? well then there wouldn't be anymore morning or night time. turning the other way, sun will start rising from the west and set in the east i think or at least the other way around . turing upside down...then sun would start rising and setting from north and south and we would all die bcause of flooding as the polar ice caps at each point would always get sun

Answer 9

Probally like, sence the earth is rotating a direction, we learned to walk with tht direction but if it stoped. We might have to learn to walk again with the new rotation.

I dont know really, kind of a dumb answer I have.

Answer 10

If it stopped turning, one side would overheat killing all life on it. The other side would freeze, eventually killing all life on it.

We'd be left with a belt around the terminator (where the light and dark meet) which might be able to support a small amount of life.

Answer 11

The sun and moon would be on each side of the earth causing one side to burn and one side to freeze.