This map, modelled by Witold Fraczek, shows how ocean masses would group together if the Earth stopped spinning and, as a result, centrifugal force disappeared.

The Earth does not have a spherical force, and the distance from the sea surface to the centre of the Earth varies significantly between the equator and the poles, with a difference of 21.4 kilometres. It is precisely centrifugal force that helps to distribute water masses so that the oceans spread across the entire surface of the Earth.

Considering that the oceans reach a maximum depth of 11 kilometres and that the continental surface reaches just over 8 kilometres at its highest point, a halt in the Earth's rotation would mean a major change. That is precisely what Fraczek simulates using ArcGIS and depicts on this map.

Virtually all of Canada, Alaska, Russia, Europe and Argentina would be under water. The bottoms of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans would rise to the level of the equator, reducing the oceans to only two, located at both poles and completely isolated from each other.

Sources

• If the Earth Stood Still
• If the Earth (PDF)