Earth's magnetic North Pole is shifting toward Russia
The pole is on the move
The planet's magnetic North Pole, where compasses point, has been unexpectedly moving toward Russia. While shifting is not a rare occurrence, the pole is moving both faster and differently than it was before, raising questions about the planet's magnetic field. If the Earth's field is disrupted, it may cause problems in technology and navigation, as well as expose the planet to unwanted radiation.
Moving the poles
There are two types of poles on Earth: the geographic and magnetic poles. The geographic North Pole "stays at the same place, as it is where all lines of longitude converge," while the magnetic North Pole is where a compass points, which "changes from time to time as the contours of Earth's magnetic field also change," said USA Today. Because of this, scientists have long tracked changes in the magnetic pole. "For centuries, the magnetic North Pole steadily tracked along Canada's northern shore," but in the past few decades, it has "taken a new path, accelerating across the Arctic Ocean toward Russia's Siberia province at varying speeds that have puzzled scientists," said Newsweek.
Magnetic poles move because the "liquid metal in the outer core is sloshing around instead of holding steady," said Snopes. The speed at which the pole has moved has varied significantly: From 1600 to 1990, it moved roughly 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) per year, accelerating to approximately 55 kilometers (about 34 miles) annually in the early 2000s and slowing to about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) per year in the last five years. These findings were documented by the British Geological Survey (BGS). "It's a big, chaotic and turbulent ball of molten iron going around in the middle of the earth that generates the magnitude," William Brown, a geomagnetic field modeler at the BGS, said to The Independent. "So while we can monitor and see how it's changing, it is quite difficult to predict exactly how it will change."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The switch in direction and momentum has raised questions. Scientists have some possible explanations, including "changes in the flow of molten iron beneath the Earth's crust," and "high-energy solar particles interacting with the Earth's magnetosphere, such as during solar storms and winds." The phenomenon "may be linked to the Earth's history of magnetic pole reversals, which have occurred nearly 200 times over the past 100 million years," said Earth.com. Understanding pole shifting can help scientists "gain a better understanding of Earth's geodynamo, which is the engine behind the magnetic field that shields us from harmful solar radiation."
Global shifts
The shifting of the North Pole has a big impact on the World Magnetic Model, which "predicts where the pole should be at any one time," said The Times. This model "helps to direct the compass tools found in smartphones," and is "used by the military to steer submarines through Arctic waters," in addition to playing a role in GPS systems. The unusual push toward Russia "isn't just an intriguing natural occurrence," but one that can have "profound and far-reaching" implications on global navigation technology, said Earth.com.
One of the main things researchers are monitoring is the potential for a full magnetic reversal, during which the North and South Poles would flip entirely. While this has occurred many times throughout Earth's geological history, there is very little known about how it would affect the world today. As of now, "the magnetic South Pole has moved very little," said Brown to Newsweek, adding that it has covered "about the same distance in a century that the North Pole did in a decade." If the poles switch sides, experts predict that the planet's magnetic field would be disrupted, exposing it to harmful radiation.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
5 reflective podcasts you may have missed this fall
The Week Recommends Shining a light on the NYPD, Hollywood's rock groupies of the '60s and '70s, and more
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Penny acquitted in NYC subway choking death
Speed Read Daniel Penny was found not guilty of homicide in the 2023 choking death of Jordan Neely
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Indian space mission's moment in the Sun
Under the Radar Emerging space power's first solar mission could help keep Earth safe from Sun's 'fireballs'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Mars may have been habitable more recently than thought
Under the Radar A lot can happen in 200 million years
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Diamonds could be a brilliant climate solution
Under the radar A girl and the climate's best friend
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
New DNA tests of Pompeii dead upend popular stories
Speed Read An analysis of skeletal remains reveals that some Mount Vesuvius victims have been wrongly identified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How AI-generated images are threatening science
Under The Radar Publishers and specialists are struggling to keep up with the impact of new content
By Abby Wilson Published
-
A giant meteor did double duty on Earth billions of years ago
Under the Radar Nutrients from the impact led to a "fertilizer bomb"
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Orkney's war on stoats
In the Spotlight A coordinated stoat cull on the Scottish islands has proved successful – and conservationists aren't slowing down
By Abby Wilson Published