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Earth, Rotation Sped Up
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Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin and causing changes to its axis, new studies find. The shifts are causing feedback beneath the surface, impacting the planet's molten core.
Humans have managed to slow the Earth’s spin and shift its axis. By Marina Koren. Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. August 6, 2024. Share. Save.
The movement of ice and meltwater is also causing a slight migration of the Earth's axis, or north pole, in a phenomenon known as "polar wander," the researchers said.
But there are factors slowing it down, as well as speeding it up. The collision that formed the Moon added rotational energy to the planet, making Earth’s day only about five hours long.
Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin and causing changes to its axis, new studies find. The shifts are causing feedback beneath the surface, impacting the planet's molten core.
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