The cause of the displacement of the magnetic north pole finally explained? Soon, geographic and magnetic north will be aligned.

the North Pole, everyone knows him. It represents the “highest” place on the globe. But there are actually three different norths. The first, geographical, is the point of convergence of the longitudes, it does not move. The second, magnetic, moves chaotically. The third, that of maps, does not really exist, it is only used for navigation. It is magnetic north that is of interest today, and more precisely its own movement.

The cause of the displacement of the magnetic north pole finally explained?

A study published just recently in the journal Nature offers an interesting theory. According to researchers from the University of Leeds, led by Professor Livermore, the movements of this magnetic north are directly linked to the random flow of molten iron in the heart of our planet. If this one, heavy and stable, moves very little, these rare movements have consequences on the surface of the Earth. According to these experts, a movement of only a few millimeters of iron in the core could translate into several kilometers on the surface.

Discovered in 1830, magnetic north is never perfectly positioned in relation to geographic north, but this difference has long been explained by the tilt of the Earth on itself. Today, this magnetic north is at the level of Canada and is approaching Siberia more quickly than before. If this displacement was previously 10 km per year, today it would be around 50 km per year. Which, again, has consequences.

Soon, geographic and magnetic north will be aligned

Obviously, in our daily life, it is imperceptible, except, perhaps, for sailors. Indeed, they are the ones who use compasses the most, and therefore magnetic north, to find their bearings. As the latter aligns with geographic north, offsets of one or two degrees no longer make sense. This should simplify navigation.

As for migrating birds, no problem. These animals can sense the movements of magnetic north. Its offset is too small to disturb birds in flight. These will find their way once the coasts are reached.

If the movement of magnetic north is not yet fully understood, it is not a total mystery and its trajectory is already known. In a few days, it will cross the other side of the Greenwich meridian before leaving the English coast by 2025, according to the dedicated monitoring organization, Ordnance Survey.