North Magnetic pole of the Earth has moved?

Darkchilde · #1 by **Darkchilde** » Mar 16, 2011 11:11 am

A greek newspaper has put out an article saying that the North Magnetic Pole of the Earth is moving from Canada to Russia with a speed of 60 km/hour.

I looked through sciencedaily and through Google scholar and cannot find anything of the sort. Anyone has any idea whether this is true? Or are they talking about the Earth's axis maybe and have confused the issue? Or maybe there is a sort of cycle the magnetic poles go through?

Thank you for any information.

Darkchilde · #2 by **Darkchilde** » Mar 16, 2011 11:18 am

Okay, wikipedia is your friend...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Magnetic_Pole

In the newspaper they made it sound as if it is something that was just discovered, and that it's such a disaster. As usual, it is nothing to worry about, and it is a physical known process.

trubble76 · #3 by **trubble76** » Mar 16, 2011 11:25 am

I wonder if you could ride it in some way, maybe with an iron sled? :think:

DanDare · #4 by **DanDare** » Mar 16, 2011 12:46 pm

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/29dec_magneticfield.html

Earth's Inconstant Magnetic Field
12.29.03

Our planet's magnetic field is in a constant state of change, say researchers who are beginning to understand how it behaves and why.

Every few years, scientist Larry Newitt of the Geological Survey of Canada goes hunting. He grabs his gloves, parka, a fancy compass, hops on a plane and flies out over the Canadian arctic. Not much stirs among the scattered islands and sea ice, but Newitt's prey is there--always moving, shifting, elusive.
The movement of Earth's north magnetic pole across the Canadian arctic, 1831-2001. Credit: Geological Survey of Canada.

His quarry is Earth's north magnetic pole.

At the moment it's located in northern Canada, about 600 km from the nearest town: Resolute Bay, population 300, where a popular T-shirt reads "Resolute Bay isn't the end of the world, but you can see it from here." Newitt stops there for snacks and supplies--and refuge when the weather gets bad. "Which is often," he says.

Scientists have long known that the magnetic pole moves. James Ross located the pole for the first time in 1831 after an exhausting arctic journey during which his ship got stuck in the ice for four years. No one returned until the next century. In 1904, Roald Amundsen found the pole again and discovered that it had moved--at least 50 km since the days of Ross.

The pole kept going during the 20th century, north at an average speed of 10 km per year, lately accelerating "to 40 km per year," says Newitt. At this rate it will exit North America and reach Siberia in a few decades.

jerome · #5 by **jerome** » Apr 08, 2011 6:11 pm

trubble76 wrote:I wonder if you could ride it in some way, maybe with an iron sled?

That's brilliant! :mrgreen:

Yep, magnetic north drifts, and faster since the 70's.

j x

Brain man · #6 by **Brain man** » Apr 08, 2011 9:06 pm

Darkchilde wrote:A greek newspaper has put out an article saying that the North Magnetic Pole of the Earth is moving from Canada to Russia with a speed of 60 km/hour.

I looked through sciencedaily and through Google scholar and cannot find anything of the sort. Anyone has any idea whether this is true? Or are they talking about the Earth's axis maybe and have confused the issue? Or maybe there is a sort of cycle the magnetic poles go through?

Thank you for any information.

And what is the mechanism by which the magnetic poles cycle ?

If you cant produce one consider this a reason to put your thread in the pseudoscience section.

klazmon · #7 by **klazmon** » Apr 09, 2011 12:12 am

Brain man wrote:
Darkchilde wrote:A greek newspaper has put out an article saying that the North Magnetic Pole of the Earth is moving from Canada to Russia with a speed of 60 km/hour.

I looked through sciencedaily and through Google scholar and cannot find anything of the sort. Anyone has any idea whether this is true? Or are they talking about the Earth's axis maybe and have confused the issue? Or maybe there is a sort of cycle the magnetic poles go through?

Thank you for any information.

And what is the mechanism by which the magnetic poles cycle ?

If you cant produce one consider this a reason to put your thread in the pseudoscience section.

Still being investigated but appears to be related to turbulent flow in a conducting fluid. The process has been reproduced in the lab.

http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/826.htm?&theme1=2&debut=24

james1v · #8 by **james1v** » Apr 09, 2011 12:19 am

So, will i have to buy a new magnetic screwdriver? An updated version? :dopey:

klazmon · #9 by **klazmon** » Apr 09, 2011 12:34 am

james1v wrote:So, will i have to buy a new magnetic screwdriver? An updated version?

No. Just use it standing upside down like they do in Australia.

LucidFlight · **#10** by **LucidFlight** » Apr 09, 2011 12:35 am

james1v wrote:So, will i have to buy a new magnetic screwdriver? An updated version?

I'd better turn all my fridge magnets upside-down, just in case.

Darkchilde · **#11** by **Darkchilde** » Apr 10, 2011 5:48 am

!	GENERAL MODNOTE The EE derail has been split and put here: http://www.rationalskepticism.org/pseudoscience/north-magnetic-pole-of-the-earth-has-moved-t21283.html

Brain man · **#12** by **Brain man** » Apr 10, 2011 7:27 pm

There has been no mention of EE here and there is not likely to be. If i think there is something to say on EE i will post it in that section and have no intention of reading any more of that thread. I have brought about a complaint over this on the moderation discussion section.

It would appear you are overtly worried that geomagnetic reversal cannot stand its own two feet as a solid science ? If it cannot remain consistent with itself then it has to be put into pseudoscience section.

There is no mention of EE here. All that is happening is that i am questioning the scientific validity of whether geomagnetic reversal as a mechanism for polar wander qualifies as solid science, consistent with itself.