Posted on 12/09/2005 5:05:37 PM PST by mlc9852
SAN FRANCISCO - Earth's north magnetic pole is drifting away from North America and toward Siberia at such a clip that Alaska might lose its spectacular Northern Lights in the next 50 years, scientists said Thursday. Despite accelerated movement over the past century, the possibility that Earth's modestly fading magnetic field will collapse is remote. But the shift could mean Alaska may no longer see the sky lights known as auroras, which might then be more visible in more southerly areas of Siberia and Europe.
The magnetic poles are part of the magnetic field generated by liquid iron in Earth's core and are different from the geographic poles, the surface points marking the axis of the planet's rotation.
Scientists have long known that magnetic poles migrate and in rare cases, swap places. Exactly why this happens is a mystery.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Is the sky falling yet?
Looks like that may no longer be true. I also noticed some areas are way off from true North, especially in the Western States.
Due to GLOBAL WARMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's BUSH's fault!!!!!!!!
Is South Magnetic Pole drifting too?
Explanation: Magnetic field likely to be produced by iron core surrounded by molten liquid. There's nothing to keep the core fixed dead center inside the Earth. It probably wobbles.
Are Geomagnetic Poles migrating too?
Magnetic poles are not the same as the geomagnetic poles. I would have to look up the precise definition.
Are Magnetic Poles aligning to, diverging from, or revolving around the Geomagnetic Poles?
Explanation: need to know this stuff
Can all these Poles Polka?
That's what counts.
Pole shift Alert.
TEOTWAWKI
May God bless you and yours.
Drilling for oil did it , the oil companies have punctured the magnosphere resultin in uncontrolled global warming.
Maybe there will be an earmark in the next highway bill to study this.
I have a car compass. Does this explain why I was driving to Columbus and ended up in Cincinnati?
What's wrong with you people? This another series consequence of global warming. We need to ratify Kyoto right now.
Don't forget baling wire. For a big project like this, baling wire does the job right.
It's the damndest thing. Suddenly, the men in San Francisco are sleeping with women again!
I was reading my son's library book, The Geography Book by Caroline Arnold, just this morning.
On page 8, a side note indicates that the North magnetic pole is 1000 miles from the north geographic pole, while the south magnetic pole is 1600 miles from the south geographic pole.
Any idea why they are different? I would expect them to be exactly apart.
Quick! Everyone run over to Alaska quickly! If we all jump at the same time while we stand in Pt. Barrow, maybe we can push it back!
:-)
The rod through the Earth must be bent!
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Wonder if anyone can answer this:
I understand how the molten iron core of the earth could, taken in total, act like a huge magnet, and how the nature of a "molten magnet" could cause the magnetic poles to drift and to not align with the geographic poles.
What confuses me is why the two poles are so close to begin with.
It was certainly a lucky coincidence for early navigation and generations of Boy Scouts, but it seems unlikely that it would occur at all. Why doesn't the molten mass reach equilibrium with no net magnetic pole? Why was there a huge polar difference in the first place? Given there is a pole, why does it point anywhere close to the geographic poles at all?
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