From Canada to Arctic to Siberia, the magnetic North Pole is moving ...

From the 1830s, the north magnetic pole of Earth has shifted a whopping 2,250 kilometres. Its speed has accelerated in the past few decades.

Earth's magnetic North Pole is on the move. It is travelling eastwards and has moved from northern Canada to the Arctic. It is now going towards Russia and at an extremely fast speed. This change is affecting our smartphones as well. What's going on?

It all comes down to the principles of electromagnetism. The magnetic North Pole is the point to which a compass needle aligns. In the outer core at the centre of our planet, there is a vast amount of molten iron. When the Earth spins and moves around the sun, this iron moves and produces a magnetic field. This activity leads to the creation of two main currents - north and south. This is known as Earth’s geodynamo system.

From the 1830s, the north magnetic pole of Earth has shifted a whopping 2,250 kilometres. Its speed has accelerated in the past few decades. As per a 2020 study, between 1990 and 2005, the rate of pole movement went from less than 15 kilometres per year to around 50 to 60 kilometres per year.

At this current rate, it will travel up by 660 kilometres toward Siberia over the next decade, scientists say.

Global geomagnetic field modeller for the British Geological Survey (BGS) Dr William Brown told The Independent that the magnetic pole is believed to have resided in northern Canada for centuries. However, it travelled towards the Arctic Ocean by the 1990s and is en route towards Russia.

According to the 2020 study, a change in the pattern of flow in Earth's interior occurred between 1970 and 1999. The Canadian "blob" then became elongated and couldn't hold on to the magnetosphere. This is what is driving the shift towards Siberia.

Navigation systems will take a hit

Brown says the speed of the movement was about 55 kilometres per year till the end of 2010s. However, as it approaches Siberia, it has again slowed down and is travelling at a speed of 25 kilometres. This has been the trend for the last five years.

How this affects humans on Earth is the way our smartphones work. Global Positioning System (GPS) and other satellite-based radio navigation systems would need to be fixed.

The navigation systems might become useless if appropriate changes aren't made. The World Magnetic Model, designed by the BGS along with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, will work to fix it. 

It will recommend the necessary changes that need to be made in the compasses on our smartphones.