Earth's Magnetic North Pole Is Heading Towards Siberia

Scientists are having a difficult time comprehending why the magnetic north pole of the planet is migrating rapidly towards Siberia. It's not uncommon for the magnetic north pole to move. What's baffling scientists is the record-breaking speed that the magnetic north pole is moving towards Siberia.

The speed that the pole is moving is remarkable, according to scientists, but not that magnetic north is moving. Scientists say that the magnetic north is never truly stationary due to fluctuations in the flow of the molten iron core inside the Earth. Magnetic north was formally discovered in 1831, and since that date, it has traveled about 1,400 miles.

Typically the movement is slow, and scientists can easily track the position. In recent decades, the movement has sped up to a pace of around 34 miles per year. More recent data suggests that the movement has slowed to about 25 miles per year. This is a phenomenon that scientists have never witnessed before.

Scientist Ciaran Beggan says that we don't know much about the changes in the core that is driving the movement. While the cause of the movement is a mystery, scientsts can map the magnetic field and calculate the change over time to help predict how the magnetic field might be distributed in the future.

Systems like GPS and compass apps are updated every five years to keep the services accurate. That means movement won't affect the accuracy and lead to any problem with the systems. The last update for the world Magnetic Modle was made last week. The refresh was sent out a year ahead of schedule due to the speed of movement for the pole. The new data is good until 2025.