earth-shattering: something very important or surprising that has a significant impact
The Mystery of Earth’s Core: Has It Stopped?
The earth’s core has stopped! The earth’s core is reversing! These are all headlines from recent news reports this past January.
While the shifting of the center of the planet is big news, it’s not as earth-shattering as some report.
The Earth’s inner core is a hot ball of iron deep inside the planet. And it does spin. That much is true. But it has not stopped spinning or changed direction.
Scientists at Peking University have found that the speed at which it spins is slowing down. The inner core speeds up and slows down every 60-70 years. This is different from the 24 hour rotation of the earth that we all experience every day. When the earth’s rotation and the inner core’s rotation match, you could say the core appears to have stopped. But it has only stopped spinning from our perspective.
Ok, so what? While we won’t be knocked off our feet as the core “stops”, this is important news. Changes in speed of the inner core might affect the Earth’s magnetic field, our climate and geology. It might even cause very small changes in the length of our day.
Sample sentences
1. The discovery of water on Mars was an earth-shattering moment for space exploration.
2. The team’s loss was earth-shattering for their fans.
3. The announcement of the new phone model was not earth-shattering, as people expected the updates.
