The recent movement of the north magnetic pole has been following a path that is 'unprecedented in the recent historical record,' scientists said.
Detailed magnetic measurements of the dip poles go all the way back to 1590. But the first direct observation of the north dip pole was not made until 1831.
From around 1900 onwards, the change in location of the north magnetic pole has followed a particularly consistent path, apart from a slight diversion between the 1950s and 1970s. In this period, the speed rose from its historic level of around 15 kilometers per year, to around 50-60 kilometers per year, although there has been a slight decrease in the past five years or so. Nevertheless, the current speed of 43 kilometers per year, on average, is still significantly faster than in the period prior to the 1990s.
"Magnetic field records in rocks—for example, volcanic eruptions freeze in the field as they cool—or from historic artifacts show there are periods where similar rapid change has happened," he said.Unlike the significant drift of the north dip pole, the geomagnetic poles, which are symmetric and situated on opposite sides of the Earth, have only moved slightly in the past 125 years—just over 150 miles.
The motion in the Earth's liquid core is not constant across the whole layer as you might expect. In some places, the flow of material is faster while in others it is almost stagnant, which has an influence on the movements of the poles.
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