Science
The
Magnetic
North Pole
Is Racing
Toward
Russia
T
HE MAGNETIC NORTH POLE JUST ISN’T
where it used to be.
Scientists have measured the location of
the magnetic north pole since James Clark
Ross first identified it in Canada’s Nunavut
territory in 1831. The pole has moved several
miles annually, but in recent decades, it has
been racing toward Siberia at an unprecedented rate.
A team of researchers from the U.K. and Denmark say
they’ve uncovered the cause of this rapid shift: Two
writhing lobes of magnetic force are duking it out near
Earth’s core.
Our planet’s protective magnetic field, which28 September/October 2020
// BY JENNIFER LEM A N //7