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The Earth's Rotation Is Slowing and Geologists Are Nervous About What That Means for 2018

Two geophysicists found a correlation between a slowing in the Earth’s rotation and an uptick in major earthquakes. Since the Earth has been slowing for the past few years, we might see more big tremors in 2018.

The Earth's Rotation Is Slowing and Geologists Are Nervous About What That Means for 2018
Planet earth with fault lines and tectonic plates, computer artwork. (Getty Images)

On November 30, thousands of people on the East Coast got a surprising afternoon jolt when a 4.1 earthquake struck Dover, Delaware. People reported feeling the quake as far north as Connecticut and as far south as Virginia. It was a rare occurrence on that side of the U.S., and it sent the hashtag #earthquake trending for a few hours. But if a couple of geophysicists in Colorado and Montana are correct, we might be talking about #earthquakes a lot more in 2018.

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