If the speed of the
Earth's rotation increased by 100 mph, regions at the equator would
begin to flood as the oceans began to amass there. Regions such as
the Amazon Basin and Northern Australia would be about 50 feet
underwater. If the rotation increased to 1000 mph faster than its
current rate, the centrifugal force would pull hundreds of feet of
water down from the poles to the equator, flooding all but the
highest mountain peaks in the regions around the equator. Oceans to
the north and south of the equator would become significantly more
shallow. Water around the equator would also be much less affected by
gravity, filling the atmosphere with heavy moisture, fog, and clouds.
What would happen, though, if the centrifugal force matched or
exceeded Earth's gravity?
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