Logo

What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning for one minute?

10.06.2025 07:38

What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning for one minute?

Does it stop due to a massive collision, or does it stop by magic?

“What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning for one minute?”

If Earth’s rotation is stopped and all the angular momentum is released as heat, everyone dies.

Nintendo Switch 2 Day 1 Update Required for Backwards Compatibility, Nintendo Switch Online, Virtual Game Cards, eShop, More - IGN

If it stops by magic, does all the energy from Earth’s angular momentum also disappear by magic, or is it released as heat?

The answer depends entirely on how you interpret the question, which is why you see so many completely different responses.

Does the rocky planet alone stop spinning?

How can one justify in Sweden that total subsidies for public green energy initiatives being approximately 8.2 billion SEK per year? Electric cars at market price typically cost an average of 500,000 SEK which is above household budgets.

Bottom line: Depending on the underlying intent of the question, the answer could be anything from the destruction of the planet and every living thing, to a minor inconvenience that requires resetting our clocks.

If the whole Earth stops by magic, with the angular momentum just vanishing and then reappearing, then the result is very minor. Every clock on Earth would need to be recalibrated against our satellites (unless they magically got paused as well). Siderial, solar, and atomic time would all be out of sync. Other than that, everybody would want to know: What the heck just happened? How did Earth magically stop and start again? But everybody is just fine.

If Earth’s rotation is stopped by a collision, everyone dies. The planet is destroyed.

Australia's first-quarter economic growth misses estimates, expanding 1.3% from a year earlier - CNBC

If only the atmosphere keeps going, Earth’s surface is blasted with winds moving at hundreds of miles per hour. Most people die.

Does the whole planet (from core to atmosphere) stop spinning?

Does the solid Earth + the oceans stop spinning?

How would you feel if your friend confided in you that she is cheating on her husband, knowing that he loves her deeply? What emotional and ethical considerations would you grapple with in response to her revelation?

If the oceans keep going, Earth’s surface is scoured clean by tsunamis moving at hundreds of miles per hour. Nearly everyone dies.