Dec. 19, 2019 12:04PM EST
Earth's magnetic north pole,
which serves as an anchor point for our navigation has been actively moving
east from the Canadian Arctic towards Russia, as CNN reported.
The magnetic north pole,
unlike geographic poles, is capable of moving and has traveled about 1,400
miles since 1831. However, in recent years, the magnetic north pole has moved
at a surprisingly swift pace, confounding scientists looking for an explanation,
according to CNN.
The rapid movement of the
magnetic north pole forced the researchers who create the World Magnetic
Model (WMM) to create a new forecast a year ahead of schedule,
according to the WMM press release. The WMM is maintained jointly by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the British Geological
Survey.
The magnetic north was moving
so swiftly that the WMM released an interim update in February to avoid
navigational or operational issues with the discrepancy between where the true
magnetic north pole is and where the 2015 model pegged it to be, according
to Forbes.
To figure out where the
magnetic north is and to create the model, the researchers look at satellite
data and data from 160 land-based observatories. The model is updated every
five years, so the next one is due in 2025, as Phys.org reported.
The updated model, which is
used by the civilian navigation systems the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
and U.S. and British militaries, shows the magnetic north pole moving towards
Siberia, though it has slowed its pace to 25 miles per year, or 40 kilometers
per year, as Forbes reported.
To be clear, when a compass
points north, it's pointing at the magnetic north pole, not the geographic
pole. In recent years, the magnetic poles and the geographic poles have been
closely aligned, but that has not always been the case, as Phys.org reported.
The location of the magnetic
north pole stems from geological processes deep under the Earth's crust. The
Earth's molten iron outer core moves as the planet spins. The flow of molten
iron creates a magnetic field that determines the poles. The magnetic field
also protects Earth from solar wind and charged particles from the sun,
as Forbes reported.
From time-to-time the magnetic
poles flip, meaning that the magnetic north pole is near the South Pole. While
has happened a few times in Earth's history, it is a slow and arduous process
that takes 22,000 years to complete, which researchers say is much longer than
anticipated or expected, according to CNN. The last time polarity reversal took place was 770,000
years ago.
Scientists have figured out
these reversals from rock records, ocean sediments, Antarctic ice cores and
lava flows. Those samples show researchers how Earth's magnetic field has
weakened, shifted, stabilized and reversed over a million years, according
to CNN.
"Reversals are generated
in the deepest parts of the Earth's interior, but the effects manifest
themselves all the way through the Earth and especially at the Earth's surface
and in the atmosphere," said Brad Singer, a University of
Wisconsin-Madison geologist to CNN. "Unless you have a complete, accurate and
high-resolution record of what a field reversal really is like at the surface
of the Earth, it's difficult to even discuss what the mechanics of generating a
reversal are."
As recently as 2000, magnetic
north was moving at just six miles per year. While it has ramped up speed, the
movement is unlikely to impact most people, though non-scientists may notice
tweaks to GPS applications and runway markers at airports, as Phys.org reported.
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