Earth’s magnetic north pole is moving towards Russia. What does that mean?

The Earth’s magnetic north pole is currently moving towards Russia in a way British scientists have not seen before.

Scientists have been traces the magnetic north pole for centuries and told the British newspaper The Times that it had moved closer to Canada’s north coast. In the 1990s it drifted into the Atlantic before moving faster towards Siberia in Russia.

Compass needles in the Northern Hemisphere point toward the magnetic north pole, although its exact location changes from time to time as the contours of the Earth’s magnetic field also change. The magnetic north pole is sometimes confused with the geographic north pole, but this location remains the same place as it is where all lines of longitude converge.

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 increased to about 34 miles per year, before in the last five years it decreased to about 22 miles per year.

Why does the movement of the North Pole matter?

The movements are tracked as the data enables the compasses in our smartphones and other navigation devices to navigate.

Scientists told The Times that these movements are being tracked by the British Geological Survey and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Together they make Magnetic model of the worldthat predicts where the rod should be at any given time.

The model plays a role in the GPS systems we use on a daily basis.

“Planes, boats, submarines, you name it, it’s in there,” said William Brown, the global geomagnetic field modeler at the British Geological Survey, in an interview with The Times.

What causes the movements?

The Earth’s outer core consists mostly of molten iron, a liquid metal. Unpredictable changes in the way it flows cause the magnetic field around Earth to shift, which then causes the magnetic core to move as well.

“It’s like a giant cup of tea,” Brown told The Times. “It is a warm liquid with the viscosity of water.”

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trendy news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him at X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Earth’s magnetic north pole is moving. What does that mean?