What Happens if the Speed of Earth’s Rotation Got Faster

Did you ever stop to think about what would happen if the rotation of the Earth unexpectedly got faster? Hang on tight as we consider some different things that could happen if we start to spin at a higher velocity.

If the rotation of the Earth was sped up by one mile per hour, waters would rise a few inches near the equator but it would take a few years to notice the change. And some of the satellites that we have flying high above us would be out of whack and off-track.

Satellites that are set to geosynchronous orbit fly at the same speed as Earth’s rotation so they are always positioned above the same spot. If the Earth spun even a little bit faster, satellites that control TV broadcasting and military and intelligence communications and operations could be affected. Some satellites do carry fuel and could be adjusted, but some would probably have to be replaced.

And what would happen with the weather and natural disasters?

If the Earth spun quickly, hurricanes would be stronger because the rotation would push winds further eastward and would make the effects of hurricanes more severe as they would spin faster and have more energy in them.

We’d also have to worry about a major problem: the water around the equator would get deeper by a few inches in just a few days if the Earth was turning 1 mph faster.

If it rotated at 100 mph faster, the equator would start to drown, and places like Northern Australia and islands near the equator would be underwater…and the water just keeps increasing the faster the Earth spins.

The equator currently spins at 1,037 miles per hour, but if it were to turn at about 24,000 miles per hour, the Earth’s crust would finally shift, the poles would flatten, and there would be swelling in areas around the equator…and that would cause huge earthquakes that would be catastrophic.