'Titanic' Shift in the Magnetic Field Results to Changing North Magnetic Pole Location

Contrary to popular belief, the North Magnetic Pole is not settled on a fixed point. The geomagnetic poles of the earth are not fixed and are constantly changing their positions. Scientists first recorded in the 1830s that the North Magnetic Pole has deviated approximately 2,250 kilometers across the upper stretches of the Northern Hemisphere from Canada towards Siberia. There was an increase in the movement’s rate between 1990 and 2005 from less than 15 kilometers annually to around 50 to 60 kilometers per year.

The journal Nature Geoscience published a new study that shows the changes could be attested to the movement between two magnetic “blobs” of molten material in the Earth’s interior that result in a change of its magnetic field.

"The North Magnetic Pole is the point at which Earth's magnetic field points vertically downwards, dictated by molten iron that’s sloshing around Earth’s interior through convection currents. The recent shift towards Siberia, it seems, is caused by a blip in the pattern of flow in Earth's interior that occurred between 1970 and 1999. The change resulted in the Canadian blob becoming elongated and losing its influence on the magnetosphere, causing the pole to zoom towards Siberia," according to IFL Science.

Dr. Phil Livermore, lead researcher from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds in the U.K., explained to BBC Radio 4’s "Today" program that the two patches of magnetic field control the position of the North Magnetic Pole - ne is underneath Canada and one is underneath Siberia. These two pull the position of the North Magnetic Pole towards the Canadian blob. Recently, the power shifted to Siberia making the North Magnetic Pole pull to the Siberian side.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Swarm satellites provided the data that were used by the researches to make the conclusion. These three satellites orbit Earth and accurately measure the magnetic signals released by the Earth’s oceans, crust, mantle, core, ionosphere and magnetosphere. The planet’s magnetic field is significant not only for abstract scientific studies. It also is important for navigation systems as well as serving as a shield of geomagnetic energy that protects Earth from destructive solar radiation.