The Galloping North Magnetic Pole

Tom Rankin · Dec 23, 2019

Depending on where you live, the NMP may be changing the direction your compass points at a rapidly increasing rate. This can also make your map lines obsolete.

Article: https://news.yahoo.com/earths-magnetic-north-pole-skittering-125000417.html

Map: https://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/historical_declination/

Salty · Dec 23, 2019

Compass declination adjustment is my friend.

Nessmuk · Dec 23, 2019

it has always been my practice to draw magnetic north lines on my maps, and teaching my land nav students how to do it as an educational exercise. At the same time, drawing lines lends itself to necessary map study, particularly for bushwhack routes. Not every student has an adjustable compass, but it is a discussed technique, as well as the method of doing the math adjustment from first principles (the why and how of no-fail mental declination adjustment without using silly mnemonic memorizations). Even with the rapidly wandering pole, in my area the declination value hasn't really changed very much, about a degree where I most travel over the past decade or so. A degree of compass error doesn't amount to any significant or notable error when terrain association becomes a primary navigation technique, as it should.

ChrisB · Dec 23, 2019

Tom Rankin said:
Depending on where you live, the NMP may be changing the direction your compass points at a rapidly increasing rate. This can also make your map lines obsolete.

Article: https://news.yahoo.com/earths-magnetic-north-pole-skittering-125000417.html

Map: https://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/historical_declination/

From the interactive map it looks like the 14 degree west dec setting is valid for 2020 for New England.

Tom Rankin · Dec 24, 2019

I agree that New England's declination is not changing rapidly, as the Pole seems to be receding almost directly away from us right now.

TCD · Dec 24, 2019

I've seen articles about this before; it's pretty interesting, and I don't think we have a good understanding of the processes that cause the pole to move. And of course I think we all agree that it does not make a big difference to us here in the Northeast.

What I find amusing is that the article cannot decide whether to be alarmist or not. I think all these publications have become so patterned in alarmism that they can't change stripes. The pole is "skittering wildly" and "By 2040, all compasses will probably point eastward of true north". But later: "Compasses and GPS will work as usual; there's no need for anyone to worry about any disturbance to daily life."