The south magnetic pole is also moving, though at a much slower rate (10-15km a year). This rapid wandering of the north magnetic pole has caused some problems for scientists and navigators alike.

A Magnetic Shift Magnetic north is not fixed like its geographic counterpart, the North Pole. Instead, it meanders, driven by the roiling motion of molten metals in Earth’s outer core.

The magnetic north pole is different from the geographic North Pole. The geographic North Pole (or “true north”) is where Earth’s axis meets its surface and is a fixed point on the globe.

The updated version of the World Magnetic Model was released on Dec. 17, with a new prediction of how the magnetic north pole will shift over the next five years. Here's why it was changed.

In the 300 years between 1600 and 1900, scientists estimate that the magnetic North Pole moved about six miles per year. At the beginning of this century, it picked up to about 34 miles per year ...

This article is more than 5 years old. Earth's magnetic field helps generate the aurora borealis. In recent years, a magnetic tug-o-war has pulled the magnetic north pole towards Russia.

Earth’s north magnetic pole has been drifting so fast in the last few decades that scientists say that past estimates are no longer accurate enough for precise navigation. On Monday, they ...

But according to a new study published Monday (Aug. 20) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, partial or temporary shifts in Earth's magnetic poles can occur much, much ...