The Earth's North Magnetic Pole is shifting from Canada towards Siberia: what impact will this have on people?

The North Magnetic Pole continues to move, and scientists say they have never seen anything like it. It was located near the northern coast of Canada but in 2000 began heading towards Siberia.

This is indicated by the revised model of the Earth's magnetic field (WMM), released on the website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States. This model will remain valid until 2029.

The North Magnetic Pole is an imaginary point where the Earth's magnetic field is directed perpendicular to the surface. Unlike the geographic North Pole, which is always fixed in place, the magnetic pole is constantly shifting.

The cause of this movement is the liquid metals surrounding the Earth's outer core, which are in constant motion due to the Earth's rotation and thermal convection. This movement generates an electric current, which creates the magnetic field of our planet.

Magnetic poles are always on the move, which is why scientists must continuously revise the WMM. This data is utilized in various navigation systems, including compasses, smartphones, GPS, and backup navigation systems for ships and airplanes.

For at least 400 years, the magnetic North Pole was located within Canada's territorial waters. However, around the 1830s, it began to move and has now shifted 2,250 kilometers. In recent years, the speed of this shift has significantly increased—from 15 km per year to 50-60 km per year—before suddenly slowing down.

WMM specialist from the British Geological Survey, William Brown, noted that scientists have never observed such behavior of the magnetic pole before.

"The magnetic north has been slowly moving around Canada since the 1500s, but over the last 20 years, it has accelerated towards Siberia, increasing its speed each year. However, about five years ago, it suddenly slowed down from 50 to 35 km per year, which is the largest slowdown in speed we have ever seen," he reported.

As previously reported, scientists have been able to model the process of tectonic plate movement over the past 1.8 billion years. There are now many models that can show how continents moved in the distant past, but none have depicted what the Earth looked like in such ancient times.