The north pole is shifting and if it flips, life on Earth is in bother

The magnetic north pole is racing in direction of Siberia – however why? It is a thriller with enormous implications, and to unravel it, we’re constructing an explosive mannequin of the planet’s core

By Michael Brooks

CAN you level to the north pole? Virtually definitely not. Even if you’re armed with a compass, you might simply get it mistaken. If you’re in California, your needle could be a full 18 levels out. “It’s worthwhile to take account of that, even in case you’re simply climbing – it may be the distinction between going left and going straight on,” says William Brown on the British Geological Survey.

It isn’t simply that your compass may be thrown off by native quirks within the magnetic discipline. The north pole itself isn’t what it was. In 1900, the pole was in Canada. A century later, it was close to Greenland. Previously 18 years, it has raced eastwards at about 40 kilometres per yr, and is presently heading for Siberia.

The bizarre behaviour of Earth’s magnetic discipline doesn’t finish there. It additionally often reverses its polarity: there have been instances in our planet’s historical past when a compass needle pointed to what we name south. Even now, there are spots beneath the floor the place a compass would level the mistaken method. What’s going on? The thriller has deep implications for know-how and the way forward for our planet.

To handle it correctly, we would want to make like Jules Verne and journey to the centre of the Earth, the place the sector has its supply. That isn’t precisely sensible. As a substitute, creative minds have sought out magnets frozen into the planet aeons in the past and constructed big spinning spheres of liquid sodium. All of which might assist us higher perceive our planet, evade photo voltaic storms and maybe take the suitable route dwelling.

Though …