Unveiling the Reasons behind Earth’s Slowing Rotation
According to scientists, the rotation of the Earth has significantly slowed down, and the cause may be the Moon gradually moving away from us for unknown reasons.
According to research conducted by scientists, the Earth’s rotation is increasingly changing, while the Moon is moving farther away. As we know, the Moon is moving away from our planet at a rate of 3.82 centimeters per year, and the resulting interaction is causing the Earth to rotate slower.
“When the Moon moves away, the Earth is like a figure skater slowing down when they stretch their arms out,” explained scientists.
After the study, the rotational speed of the Earth, or in other words, the length of a day, was found to have a significant impact on the Earth’s climate and oxidation time.
About 2.4 billion years ago, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) emerged and thrived, producing more oxygen as a byproduct of metabolic processes. They are one of the most important organisms for life as we know it.
Cyanobacteria are late bloomers, so a significant oxygenation event could only occur when a day was long enough.
Linking evolutionary models, global models, and oxygen levels, scientists have discovered that the length of the day has been repeatedly associated with increased oxygen levels on Earth, including the aforementioned 2.4 billion-year event.
They pointed out that at the milestone of 1.4 billion years ago, an Earth day was only 18 hours long. 70 million years ago, a day was half an hour shorter than today. Statistical analysis shows that a day is increasing by about 1.8 milliseconds per century.
Each year, the Earth slows down at a very small rate. But after a period of time, it leaves behind significant consequences.
Researchers believe that this slowing rate is sufficient to increase tectonic activities, leading to earthquakes if accumulated over time.
The slowing rotation rate can also cause changes in the shape of the iron and nickel inside the Earth’s core. This process causes the geological layer to adhere slightly more to the Earth’s mantle, thereby altering the flow of the Earth’s outer core and causing an imbalance with the rigidifying rate of the Earth’s mantle.
The relationship between the Earth’s rotation speed and earthquakes is very robust, indicating that there will be even larger earthquakes in the coming years.
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