If Earth Stopped Spinning

If the Earth suddenly stopped spinning, here’s what would happen next. First, everything around the equator would be flung eastward at speeds up to 1670 km/h, equivalent to the Earth's rotational velocity there. This inertia would unleash winds and giant tidal waves, sweeping away everything in their path. Next, Earth's oblate shape, resulting from its rotation, would shift dramatically, triggering intense earthquakes as gravity reshaped it into a spherical form. Ocean tides, governed by the Moon's pull, would become unpredictable, upending marine ecosystems. Most astonishingly, a halt in Earth's rotation would mean a day would stretch on as long as a year since the Earth would still be revolving around the Sun. One side of the planet would be subjected to continuous, blistering heat for about six months, while the other half would be plunged into a frozen, eternal night for the same period. It's a hypothetical scenario but a reminder of the delicate balance that makes life on Earth possible. For more videos of Cosmos in a minute, follow The Secrets of the Universe.