Magnetic north is on the move
MAR 07, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025109
Independent : Scientists say that the magnetic north pole is moving. For two centuries it has been located in Canada, but it is currently relocating toward Russia at a rate of about 40 miles per year. The speed of its movement, having increased by a third in the past decade, has prompted speculation that the field could be about to “flip,” which would cause compasses to invert and point south rather than north, something that happens between three and seven times every million years. Geologists believe that the magnetic north pole moves around due to changes in Earth’s molten core, which contains liquid iron. Although the shift will affect compasses, it will not affect GPS systems, which rely on satellites.
© 2011. American Institute of Physics