Scientists on Monday released an emergency update to the World Magnetic Model, which cellphone GPS systems and military navigators use to orient themselves. But the north magnetic pole’s inexorable drift suggests that something strange — and potentially powerful — is taking place deep within Earth. Changes in that underground flow can alter Earth’s magnetic field lines — and the poles where they converge. Consequently, magnetic north doesn’t align with geographic north (the end point of Earth’s rotational axis), and it’s constantly on the move. (David Goldman/AP)Livermore’s research suggests that the North Pole’s location is controlled by two patches of magnetic field beneath Canada and Siberia.

Source: Washington Post February 05, 2019 18:08 UTC