North magnetic Pole - wikipedia North magnetic Pole `` Magnetic North '' redirects here. For other uses, see Magnetic North ( disambiguation ). Location of the North Magnetic Pole and the North Geomagnetic Pole in 2017. The North Magnetic Pole is the point on the surface of Earth 's Northern Hemisphere at which the planet 's magnetic field points vertically downwards ( in other words, if a magnetic compass needle is allowed to rotate about a horizontal axis, it will point straight down ). There is only one location where this occurs, near ( but distinct from ) the Geographic North Pole and the Geomagnetic North Pole. The North Magnetic Pole moves over time due to magnetic changes in the Earth 's core. In 2001, it was determined by the Geological Survey of Canada to lie west of Ellesmere Island in northern Canada at 81 ° 18 ′ N 110 ° 48 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 81.3 ° N 110.8 ° W ﻿ / 81.3 ; - 110.8 ﻿ ( Magnetic North Pole 2001 ). It was situated at 83 ° 06 ′ N 117 ° 48 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 83.1 ° N 117.8 ° W ﻿ / 83.1 ; - 117.8 ﻿ ( Magnetic North Pole 2005 est ) in 2005. In 2009, while still situated within the Canadian Arctic territorial claim at 84 ° 54 ′ N 131 ° 00 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 84.9 ° N 131.0 ° W ﻿ / 84.9 ; - 131.0 ﻿ ( Magnetic North Pole 2009 ), it was moving toward Russia at between 55 and 60 kilometres ( 34 and 37 mi ) per year. As of 2017, the pole is projected to have moved beyond the Canadian Arctic territorial claim to 86 ° 30 ′ N 172 ° 36 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 86.5 ° N 172.6 ° W ﻿ / 86.5 ; - 172.6 ﻿ ( Magnetic North Pole 2017 est ). Its southern hemisphere counterpart is the South Magnetic Pole. Since the Earth 's magnetic field is not exactly symmetrical, the North and South Magnetic Poles are not antipodal, meaning that a straight line drawn from one to the other does not pass through the geometric centre of the Earth. The Earth 's North and South Magnetic Poles are also known as Magnetic Dip Poles, with reference to the vertical `` dip '' of the magnetic field lines at those points. Contents 1 Polarity 2 History 3 Expeditions and measurements 3.1 Early 3.2 Project Polaris 3.3 Modern ( post-1996 ) 4 Magnetic north and magnetic declination 5 North Geomagnetic Pole 6 Geomagnetic reversal 7 See also 8 Notes and references 9 External links Polarity See also : Magnet § Pole naming conventions All magnets have two poles, where the lines of magnetic flux enter and emerge. By analogy with the Earth 's magnetic field, these are called the magnet 's `` north '' and `` south '' poles. The convention in early compasses was to call the end of the needle pointing to the Earth 's North Magnetic Pole the `` north pole '' ( or `` north - seeking pole '' ) and the other end the `` south pole '' ( the names are often abbreviated to `` N '' and `` S '' ). Because opposite poles attract, this definition means that the Earth 's North Magnetic Pole is actually a magnetic south pole and the Earth 's South Magnetic Pole is a magnetic north pole. The direction of magnetic field lines is defined such that the lines emerge from the magnet 's north pole and enter into the magnet 's south pole. History Part of the Carta Marina of 1539 by Olaus Magnus, depicting the location of magnetic north vaguely conceived as `` Insula Magnetu ( m ) '' ( Latin for `` Island of Magnets '' ) off modern day Murmansk. The man holding the rune staffs is the Norse hero Starkad. Early European navigators believed that compass needles were attracted to a `` magnetic island '' somewhere in the far north ( see Rupes Nigra ), or to the Pole Star. The idea that the Earth itself acts as a giant magnet was first proposed in 1600 by the English physician and natural philosopher William Gilbert. He was also the first to define the North Magnetic Pole as the point where the Earth 's magnetic field points vertically downwards. This is the definition used nowadays, though it would be a few hundred years before the nature of the Earth 's magnetic field was understood properly. Expeditions and measurements See also : Arctic exploration, Farthest North, and List of Arctic expeditions Early The first expedition to reach the North Magnetic Pole was led by James Clark Ross, who found it at Cape Adelaide on the Boothia Peninsula on June 1, 1831. Roald Amundsen found the North Magnetic Pole in a slightly different location in 1903. The third observation was by Canadian government scientists Paul Serson and Jack Clark, of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, who found the pole at Allen Lake on Prince of Wales Island in 1947. Project Polaris At the start of the Cold War, the United States Department of War recognized a need for a comprehensive survey of the North American Arctic and asked the United States Army to undertake the task. An assignment was made in 1946 for the newly formed Army 's Air Corps Strategic Air Command to explore the entire Arctic Ocean area. The exploration was conducted by the 46th ( later re-designated the 72nd ) Photo Reconnaissance Squadron and reported on as a classified Top Secret mission named Project Nanook. This project in turn was divided into many separate, but identically classified, projects, one of which was Project Polaris, which was a radar, photographic ( trimetrogon, or three - angle, cameras ) and visual study of the entire Canadian Archipelago. A Canadian officer observer was assigned to accompany each flight. Directing Project Polaris was its navigation leader, 1st Lieutenant Frank O. Klein, a World War II combat veteran. Incidental to the project and taken up at his own initiative was a study of northern terrestrial magnetism. The study was prompted by the surprise that the fluxgate compass did not behave erratically as expected. It oscillated no more than 1 to 2 degrees over much of the region. With the cooperation of many of his squadron teammates in obtaining many hundreds of statistical readings, startling results were revealed : The centre of the north magnetic dip pole was on Prince of Wales Island some 400 kilometres ( 250 mi ) NNW of the positions determined by Amundsen and Ross, and the dip pole occupied a larger elliptical area, with foci about 400 km ( 250 mi ) apart on Boothia Peninsula and Bathurst Island. Klein called the two foci local poles, for their importance to navigation in emergencies when using a `` homing '' procedure. About 3 months after Klein 's findings were officially reported, a Canadian ground expedition was sent into the Archipelago to locate the position of the magnetic pole. R. Glenn Madill, Chief of Terrestrial Magnetism, Department of Mines and Resources, Canada, wrote to Lt. Klein on 21 July 1948 :... we agree on one point and that is the presence of what we can call the main magnetic pole on northwestern Prince of Wales Island. I have accepted as a purely preliminary value the position latitude 73 ° N and longitude 100 ° W. Your value of 73 ° 15'N and 99 ° 45'W is in excellent agreement, and I suggest that you use your value by all means. -- R. Glenn Madill ( The positions were less than 30 km ( 20 mi ) apart. ) Modern ( post-1996 ) The movement of Earth 's north magnetic pole across the Canadian arctic. Speed of the north magnetic pole according to the IGRF - 12 model. The Canadian government has made several measurements since, which show that the North Magnetic Pole is moving continually northwestward. In 2001, an expedition located the pole at 81 ° 18 ′ N 110 ° 48 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 81.3 ° N 110.8 ° W ﻿ / 81.3 ; - 110.8 ﻿ ( Magnetic North Pole 2001 location ). In 2007, the latest survey found the pole at 83 ° 57 ′ N 120 ° 43 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 83.95 ° N 120.72 ° W ﻿ / 83.95 ; - 120.72 ﻿ ( Magnetic North Pole 2007 location ). During the 20th century it moved 1100 km, and since 1970 its rate of motion has accelerated from 9 km / year to approximately 52 km / year ( 2001 -- 2007 average ; see also Polar drift ). Members of the 2007 expedition to locate the magnetic north pole wrote that such expeditions have become logistically difficult, as the pole moves farther away from inhabited locations. They expect that in the future, the magnetic pole position will be obtained from satellite data instead of ground surveys. This general movement is in addition to a daily or diurnal variation in which the North Magnetic Pole describes a rough ellipse, with a maximum deviation of 80 km from its mean position. This effect is due to disturbances of the geomagnetic field by charged particles from the Sun. North Magnetic Pole ( 2001 ) 81 ° 18 ′ N 110 ° 48 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 81.3 ° N 110.8 ° W ﻿ / 81.3 ; - 110.8 ( 2004 est ) 82 ° 18 ′ N 113 ° 24 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 82.3 ° N 113.4 ° W ﻿ / 82.3 ; - 113.4 ( 2007 ) 83 ° 57 ′ N 120 ° 43 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 83.95 ° N 120.72 ° W ﻿ / 83.95 ; - 120.72 South Magnetic Pole ( 1998 ) 64 ° 36 ′ S 138 ° 30 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 64.6 ° S 138.5 ° E ﻿ / - 64.6 ; 138.5 ( 2004 est ) 63 ° 30 ′ S 138 ° 00 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 63.5 ° S 138.0 ° E ﻿ / - 63.5 ; 138.0 ( 2007 ) 64 ° 29 ′ 49 '' S 137 ° 41 ′ 02 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 64.497 ° S 137.684 ° E ﻿ / - 64.497 ; 137.684 The first team of novices to reach the Magnetic North Pole did so in 1996, led by David Hempleman - Adams. It included the first British woman Sue Stockdale and first Swedish woman to reach the Pole. The team also successfully tracked the location of the Magnetic North Pole on behalf of the University of Ottawa, and certified its location by magnetometer and theodolite at 78 ° 35.7 ′ N 104 ° 11.9 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 78.5950 ° N 104.1983 ° W ﻿ / 78.5950 ; - 104.1983 ﻿ ( Magnetic North Pole 1996 ). The biennial Polar Race takes place between Resolute Bay in northern Canada and the 1996 - certified location of the North Magnetic Pole at 78 ° 35.7 ′ N 104 ° 11.9 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 78.5950 ° N 104.1983 ° W ﻿ / 78.5950 ; - 104.1983 ﻿ ( Magnetic North Pole 1996 ). On 25 July 2007, the Top Gear Polar Challenge Special was broadcast on BBC Two in the United Kingdom, in which Jeremy Clarkson and James May ( and their support and camera team ) became the first people in history to reach this location in a car. Magnetic North and magnetic declination This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2017 ) Magnetic declination from true north in 2000. Main article : Magnetic declination The direction in which a compass needle points is known as magnetic north. In general, this is not exactly the direction of the North Magnetic Pole ( or of any other consistent location ). Instead, the compass aligns itself to the local geomagnetic field, which varies in a complex manner over the Earth 's surface, as well as over time. The local angular difference between magnetic north and true north is called the magnetic declination. Most map coordinate systems are based on true north, and magnetic declination is often shown on map legends so that the direction of true north can be determined from north as indicated by a compass. Magnetic declination has been measured in many countries, including the U.S. The line of zero declination ( the agonic line ) in North America runs from the North Magnetic Pole through Lake Superior and southward into the Gulf of Mexico. Along this line, true north is the same as magnetic north. West of the line of zero declination, a compass will give a reading that is east of true north. Conversely, east of the line of zero declination, a compass reading will be west of true north. Magnetic declination is still very important for certain types of navigation that have traditionally made much use of magnetic compasses. North Geomagnetic Pole Main article : Geomagnetic pole As a first - order approximation, the Earth 's magnetic field can be modelled as a simple dipole ( like a bar magnet ), tilted about 10 ° with respect to the Earth 's rotation axis ( which defines the Geographic North and Geographic South Poles ) and centred at the Earth 's centre. The North and South Geomagnetic Poles are the antipodal points where the axis of this theoretical dipole intersects the Earth 's surface. If the Earth 's magnetic field were a perfect dipole then the field lines would be vertical at the Geomagnetic Poles, and they would coincide with the Magnetic Poles. However, the approximation is imperfect, and so the Magnetic and Geomagnetic Poles lie some distance apart. Like the North Magnetic Pole, the North Geomagnetic Pole attracts the north pole of a bar magnet and so is in a physical sense actually a magnetic south pole. It is the centre of the region of the magnetosphere in which the Aurora Borealis can be seen. As of 2005 it was located at approximately 79 ° 44 ′ N 71 ° 47 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 79.74 ° N 71.78 ° W ﻿ / 79.74 ; - 71.78 ﻿ ( Geomagnetic North Pole 2005 est ), off the northwest coast of Greenland, but it is now drifting away from North America and toward Siberia. Geomagnetic reversal Main article : Geomagnetic reversal Over the life of the Earth, the orientation of Earth 's magnetic field has reversed many times, with magnetic north becoming magnetic south and vice versa -- an event known as a geomagnetic reversal. Evidence of geomagnetic reversals can be seen at mid-ocean ridges where tectonic plates move apart and the seabed is filled in with magma. As the magma seeps out of the mantle the magnetic particles contained within it are oriented in the direction of the magnetic field at the time the magma cools and solidifies. See also Book : Geomagnetism South Magnetic Pole North Pole Polar alignment Notes and references Jump up ^ Merrill, Ronald T. ; McElhinny, Michael W. ; McFadden, Phillip L. ( 1996 ). `` Chapter 8 ''. The magnetic field of the earth : paleomagnetism, the core, and the deep mantle. Academic Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 12 - 491246 - 5. ^ Jump up to : World Data Center for Geomagnetism, Kyoto. `` Magnetic North, Geomagnetic and Magnetic Poles ''. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 03. Jump up ^ North Magnetic Pole Moving East Due to Core Flux, National Geographic, December 24, 2009 Jump up ^ `` The Magnetic North Pole ''. Ocean bottom magnetology laboratory. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 06. Jump up ^ Serway, Raymond A. ; Chris Vuille ( 2006 ). Essentials of college physics. USA : Cengage Learning. p. 493. ISBN 0 - 495 - 10619 - 4. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 19. Jump up ^ Russell, Randy. `` Earth 's Magnetic Poles ''. Windows to the Universe. National Earth Science Teachers Association. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 19. ^ Jump up to : Early Concept of the North Magnetic Pole, Natural Resources Canada, retrieved June 2007 Jump up ^ History of Expeditions to the North Magnetic Pole, Natural Resources Canada ^ Jump up to : White, Ken ( 1994 ). World in Peril : The Origin, Mission & Scientific Findings of the 46th / 72nd Reconnaissance Squadron ( 2nd revised ed. ). K.W. White & Associates. ISBN 978 - 1883218102. Jump up ^ Wack, Fred John ( 1992 ). The Secret Explorers : Saga of the 46th / 72nd Reconnaissance Squadrons. Seeger 's Print. ^ Jump up to : L.R. Newitt, A. Chulliat, and J. - J. Orgeval, Location of the North Magnetic Pole in April 2007, Earth Planets Space, 61, 703 -- 710, 2009 Jump up ^ Geomagnetism -- Daily Movement of the North Magnetic Pole, Natural Resources Canada Jump up ^ `` Geomagnetism, North Magnetic Pole ''. Geological Survey of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Archived from the original on 2010 - 03 - 26. Retrieved 11 January 2009. Jump up ^ `` Poles and Directions ''. Australian Antarctic Division. 2011. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 06. Jump up ^ 1996 Certified Position of the Magnetic North Pole, Jock Wishart, Polar Race organiser Jump up ^ `` Polar Challenge ''. Top Gear. 25 July 2007. 0 : 22 minutes in. BBC Two. Retrieved 19 April 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Geomagnetism Frequently Asked Questions ''. National Geophysical Data Center. Retrieved 19 April 2012. Jump up ^ Earth 's Inconstant Magnetic Field -- NASA Science External links Map all coordinates using OSM Map all coordinates using Google Export all coordinates as KML Export all coordinates as GPX Map all microformatted coordinates Place data as RDF `` Wandering of the geomagnetic poles ''. Geomagnetism. National Geophysical Data Center. Retrieved 19 April 2012. `` Geomagnetism ''. Natural Resources Canada. April 1, 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012. Map of pole 's wandering `` North Magnetic Pole could be leaving Canada ''. CNN.com. 20 March 2002. Retrieved 19 April 2012. `` Magnetic pole drifting fast ''. BBC News. 12 December 2005. Retrieved 19 April 2012. Nemiroff, R. ; Bonnell, J., eds. ( 25 November 2002 ). `` The Earth 's magnetic field ''. Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 19. Polar exploration Arctic Ocean History Expeditions Research stations Farthest North North Pole Barentsz Hudson Marmaduke Carolus Parry North Magnetic Pole J. Ross J.C. Ross Abernethy Kane Hayes Polaris Polaris C.F. Hall British Arctic Expedition HMS Alert Nares HMS Discovery Stephenson Markham Lady Franklin Bay Expedition Greely Lockwood Brainard 1st Fram expedition Fram Nansen Johansen Sverdrup Jason Amedeo F. Cook Peary Sedov Byrd Airship Norge Amundsen Nobile Wisting Riiser - Larsen Ellsworth Airship Italia Nautilus Wilkins ANT - 25 Chkalov Baydukov Belyakov `` North Pole '' manned drifting ice stations NP - 1 Papanin Shirshov E. Fyodorov Krenkel NP - 36 NP - 37 Sedov Badygin Wiese USS Nautilus USS Skate Plaisted Herbert NS Arktika Barneo Arktika 2007 Mir submersibles Sagalevich Chilingarov Iceland Greenland Pytheas Brendan Papar Vikings Naddodd Svavarsson Arnarson Norse colonization of the Americas Ulfsson Galti Erik the Red Christian IV 's expeditions J. Hall Cunningham Lindenov C. Richardson Danish colonization Egede Scoresby Jason Nansen Sverdrup Peary Rasmussen Northwest Passage Northern Canada Cabot G. Corte - Real M. Corte - Real Frobisher Gilbert Davis Hudson Discovery Bylot Baffin Munk I. Fyodorov Gvozdev HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Discovery Clerke Mackenzie Kotzebue J. Ross HMS Griper Parry HMS Hecla Lyon HMS Fury Hoppner Crozier J.C. Ross Coppermine Expedition Franklin Back Dease Simpson HMS Blossom Beechey Franklin 's lost expedition HMS Erebus HMS Terror Collinson Rae -- Richardson Expedition Rae J. Richardson Austin McClure Expedition HMS Investigator McClure HMS Resolute Kellett Belcher Kennedy Bellot Isabel Inglefield 2nd Grinnell Expedition USS Advance Kane Fox McClintock HMS Pandora Young Fram Sverdrup Gjøa Amundsen Rasmussen Karluk Stefansson Bartlett St. Roch H. Larsen Cowper North East Passage Russian Arctic Pomors Koch boats Willoughby Chancellor Barentsz Mangazeya Hudson Poole Siberian Cossacks Perfilyev Stadukhin Dezhnev Popov Ivanov Vagin Permyakov Great Northern Expedition Bering Chirikov Malygin Ovtsyn Minin V. Pronchishchev M. Pronchishcheva Chelyuskin Kh. Laptev D. Laptev Chichagov Lyakhov Billings Sannikov Gedenschtrom Wrangel Matyushkin Anjou Litke Lavrov Pakhtusov Tsivolko Middendorff Austro - Hungarian Expedition Weyprecht Payer Vega Expedition A.E. Nordenskiöld Palander USS Jeannette De Long Yermak Makarov Zarya Toll Kolomeitsev Matisen Kolchak Sedov Rusanov Kuchin Brusilov Expedition Sv. Anna Brusilov Albanov Konrad Wiese Nagórski Taymyr / Vaygach Vilkitsky Maud Amundsen AARI Samoylovich Begichev Urvantsev Sadko Ushakov Glavsevmorput Schmidt Aviaarktika Shevelev Sibiryakov Voronin Chelyuskin Krassin Gakkel Nuclear - powered icebreakers NS Lenin Arktika class Antarctic Continent History Expeditions Southern Ocean Roché Bouvet Kerguelen HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Adventure Furneaux Smith San Telmo Vostok Bellingshausen Mirny Lazarev Bransfield Palmer Davis Weddell Morrell Astrolabe Dumont d'Urville United States Exploring Expedition USS Vincennes Wilkes USS Porpoise Ringgold Ross expedition HMS Erebus ( J.C. Ross Abernethy ) HMS Terror ( Crozier ) Cooper Challenger expedition HMS Challenger Nares Murray Jason C.A. Larsen `` Heroic Age '' Belgian Antarctic Expedition Belgica de Gerlache Lecointe Amundsen Cook Arctowski Racoviță Dobrowolski Southern Cross Southern Cross Borchgrevink Discovery Discovery Discovery Hut Gauss Gauss Drygalski Swedish Antarctic Expedition Antarctic O. Nordenskjöld C.A. Larsen Scottish Antarctic Expedition Bruce Scotia Orcadas Base Nimrod Expedition Nimrod French Antarctic Expeditions Pourquoi - Pas Charcot Japanese Antarctic Expedition Shirase Amundsen 's South Pole expedition Fram Amundsen Framheim Polheim Terra Nova Terra Nova Scott Wilson E.R. Evans Crean Lashly Filchner Australasian Antarctic Expedition SY Aurora Mawson Far Eastern Party Imperial Trans - Antarctic Expedition Endurance Ernest Shackleton Wild James Caird Ross Sea party Mackintosh Shackleton -- Rowett Expedition Quest IPY IGY Modern research Christensen Byrd BANZARE BGLE Rymill New Swabia Ritscher Operation Tabarin Marr Operation Highjump Captain Arturo Prat Base British Antarctic Survey Operation Windmill Ketchum Ronne Expedition F. Ronne E. Ronne Schlossbach Operation Deep Freeze McMurdo Station Commonwealth Trans - Antarctic Expedition Hillary V. Fuchs Soviet Antarctic Expeditions 1st Somov Klenova Mirny 2nd Tryoshnikov 3rd Tolstikov Antarctic Treaty System Transglobe Expedition Fiennes Burton Lake Vostok Kapitsa Farthest South South Pole HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Adventure Furneaux Weddell HMS Erebus J.C. Ross HMS Terror Crozier Southern Cross Borchgrevink Discovery Barne Nimrod Shackleton Wild Marshall Adams South Magnetic Pole Mawson David Mackay Amundsen 's South Pole expedition Fram Amundsen Bjaaland Helmer Hassel Wisting Polheim Terra Nova Scott E. Evans Oates Wilson Bowers Byrd Balchen McKinley Dufek Amundsen -- Scott South Pole Station Hillary V. Fuchs Pole of Cold Vostok Station Pole of inaccessibility Pole of Inaccessibility Station Tolstikov Crary A. Fuchs Messner Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_Magnetic_Pole&oldid=799593426 '' Categories : Polar regions of the Earth Geography of the Arctic Geomagnetism Geology of the Arctic Geography of the Northwest Territories Orientation ( geometry ) Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2014 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2012 Articles needing additional references from May 2017 All articles needing additional references Lists of coordinates Geographic coordinate lists Articles with Geo Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto فارسی Français Frysk 한국어 Interlingua Íslenska ქართული Қазақша 日本 語 Norsk Occitan Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 8 September 2017, at 17 : 22. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where will you find earth's magnetic north pole
Answer: 86°30′N 172°36′W﻿ / ﻿86.5°N 172.6°W