The Magnetic North Pole is racing toward Siberia at approximately 34 miles per year, accelerating dramatically from its historical pace.

Earth's magnetic field is generated by the geodynamo, a process driven by the motion of liquid iron and nickel in the outer core approximately 1,800 miles below the surface. This molten metal circulates like an ocean current, creating electrical currents that generate our planet's protective magnetosphere. Because this fluid constantly shifts due to heat and planetary rotation, the magnetic poles are never truly stationary.British explorer James Clark Ross first located the Magnetic North Pole in 1831 on the Boothia Peninsula in northern Canada. Throughout most of the 20th century, the pole drifted slowly at roughly 9 miles per year. Around 1990, however, the movement accelerated dramatically to approximately 34 miles per year. By 2018, the pole had crossed the International Date Line and entered the Eastern Hemisphere.Scientists from the British Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continuously monitor these changes to maintain the World Magnetic Model, which is essential for GPS, smartphone compasses, and military navigation systems. The current rapid movement is likely caused by competing magnetic forces: a "tug-of-war" between two patches of magnetic flux, one beneath Canada and one beneath Siberia, with the Siberian patch currently gaining strength.