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There are many mysteries about the world that humans have unearthed, but there is still an infinite more left to discover. You might be surprised to know that the earth’s magnetic north pole is no longer in Canada. It has moved towards Siberia. Read on to know why. By Manya Saini
In recent years, scientists have discovered that the Earth’s magnetic pole has been steadily moving towards Russia from Canada. The speed of the drift is estimated to be about 55 kilometres per year. The shift has many implications, especially in the field of navigation, GPS systems, and mapping among others.
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The magnetic poles are formed due to the molten lava core of the earth, which moves and flows as the planet spins on its axis. The convection currents are responsible for a magnetic field around Earth, which protects it from the charged particles of the sun and solar wind.
A team of researchers led by Dr Phil Livermore from the University of Leeds have now come forward with an explanation for the change, claiming that since the magnetic field is governed by the flow of materials in the core, the cause of the disruption is two competing ‘blobs’ along with the outer core that is pulling at the magnetic outer pole.
While one such patch is beneath Canada, the other is in Russia, close to Siberia. In the last few decades, the latter has overpowered the former, hence, the magnetic north pole has migrated towards Russia at such impressive speed. The position of the magnetic north pole was recorded for the first time in 1831 by explorer James Clark Ross.
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In 2019, it was reported by scientists that the ‘World Magnetic Model’, that forms the basis of all modern navigation systems used by Google Maps and ships, had an increasing error. The model is updated regularly to ensure its accuracy, but the shift in the magnetic pole has caused issues with the 2015 model, which the team thought would last till 2020.
The team has published their research in the academic journal, Nature Geoscience, and have reportedly said that they will continue to work in the field to find more answers as to the shift and its implications.
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