The magnetic North Pole has been migrating at spectacular speed since the 1990s, leaving Canada and moving closer to Siberia, Russia. This shift could slightly impact compasses, GPS and modern technologies.
The magnetic North Pole, an essential marker for our compasses, is currently moving at great speed. Indeed, it has “rapidly” migrated since the 1990s, leaving the Canadian coasts to head towards Siberia.
This drift depends on weather conditions, temperature variations, atmospheric pressure and solar winds.
Various magnetic lobes located at the heart of the Earth influence the liquid iron of the core, with a predominance of the Siberian lobe over that of Canada, explain journalists from the British media Unilad. The southern part of the Earth's magnetic field, which attracts the northern part of the compass needle, therefore moves little by little.
55 kilometers per year
Between the early 2000s and the 2010s, the movement of the magnetic North Pole towards Siberia advanced at a rate of approximately 55 kilometers per year. Unlike the geographic North Pole, which has always been fixed, the magnetic North Pole has been perpetually in motion. However, the current phenomenon has intrigued scientists by its speed.
If this wandering is natural, it has very concrete impacts. The World Magnetic Model, updated regularly by institutions such as NOAA (American Oceanic and Atmospheric Observation Agency), has always taken these changes into account to ensure the functioning of GPS, navigation systems and smartphones.
However, a larger movement or pole reversal has the potential to pose major technological challenges. Scientists have estimated that the Earth's magnetic field reverses on average every 250,000 years, although the last reversal was about 780,000 years ago. If such a reversal were to occur, our technologies could suffer severe disruptions. GPS, satellites and other modern tools may no longer work properly.
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