Earth has a special spot.
It is near the bottom. This spot helps magnets work. The spot moves all the time. It is far from the ice. It is a big wonder. Can you find it on a map?
Earth has a special spot.
It is near the bottom. This spot helps magnets work. The spot moves all the time. It moves because the Earth's field changes. It moves northwest each year. In 2005, it was near the ice. In 2015, it was in a new place. It is not at the real south pole. Some people tried to find it long ago. They even planted a flag on land. It is a big wonder. Can you find it on a map?
Earth has a special spot in the south. We call it the south magnetic pole.
This spot is where magnetic lines point straight down. It is not the same as the real South Pole. The pole is always moving. It shifts because Earth's magnetic field changes. It moves northwest by about 15 kilometers every year.
In 2005, the pole was near Vostok Station. In 2015, it was at a new spot. This new spot is outside the Antarctic Circle. It is far from the real South Pole. The closest science station is Dumont d'Urville Station.
People tried to find this spot a long time ago. Explorers like Jules Dumont d'Urville searched for it. In 1909, three men thought they found it. They found it on land back then. They even planted a flagpole there. Now, experts are not sure if they were right. Scientists use big models to find the pole today. One model is called the IGRF. It helps us track where the pole goes.
Earth has a very special place in the south. We call it the south magnetic pole.
This spot is where magnetic field lines point straight down. It is not the same as the geographic South Pole. The geographic pole is the fixed bottom of our world. The magnetic pole is different because it is always moving. It shifts because Earth's magnetic field is always changing. This movement is called polar drift.
Scientists use models to find where the pole is. One way is to look at the geomagnetic field. We can imagine a bar magnet inside the Earth. This is called a dipole model. The south geomagnetic pole is a related point. It is where the axis of this model hits the surface. The magnetic pole and the geomagnetic pole are not in the same place. This happens because the Earth's field is not a perfect dipole.
People have searched for this spot for a long time. Early explorers tried to find it but were not successful. Jules Dumont d'Urville searched between 1837 and 1840. Charles Wilkes also went on an expedition from 1838 to 1842. James Clark Ross tried to find it from 1839 to 1843. On January 23, 1838, a hydrographer found a way to locate it. He used the magnetic inclination to help his work.
In 1909, three men thought they reached the pole. Douglas Mawson, Edgeworth David, and Alistair Mackay were on the Nimrod Expedition. They were part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's team. They found the pole on land at that time. They even planted a flagpole at the spot. They claimed the area for the British Empire. Now, experts have some doubt about their location. In 1909, the pole was near 72.5°S, 160°E.
The pole moves northwest by about 15 kilometers every year. In 2005, it was near Vostok Station. In 2015, it was at 64.2°S, 135.8°E. This location is outside the Antarctic Circle. It is far from the geographic South Pole. The closest science station is Dumont d'Urville Station. Scientists use the IGRF to track these changes. They also use the World Magnetic Model to see the big picture.
The south magnetic pole is a unique location in Earth's Southern Hemisphere. It is the specific point where geomagnetic field lines point perpendicular to the surface. This means the magnetic lines run straight down into the ground. It is important to distinguish this from the geographic South Pole. The geographic pole is the fixed bottom of the Earth's axis. The south magnetic pole is a moving target because Earth's magnetic field is constantly changing.
Scientists use different ways to locate and understand this pole. One way is to use a dipole model. A dipole is an idea where we imagine a tilted bar magnet at Earth's center. This model helps us understand the magnetic field's shape. The south geomagnetic pole is a related but different point. It is where the axis of this best-fitting dipole hits the Earth's surface. Because Earth's actual field is not a perfect dipole, these two poles do not occupy the same spot.
To track these changes, researchers use complex mathematical sets. They use the International Geomagnetic Reference Field, or IGRF. They also use the World Magnetic Model, known as the WMM. For looking much further back in time, they use the GUFM1 model. This model goes back to about the year 1600. It is built using data collected from old ship logs. These models help scientists map how the magnetic field has shifted over centuries.
History shows that finding this pole was a difficult task for early explorers. Several expeditions tried and failed to reach it. French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville searched from 1837 to 1840. American Charles Wilkes led an expedition from 1838 to 1842. Briton James Clark Ross also attempted to find it between 1839 and 1843. On January 23, 1838, a hydrographer on Dumont d'Urville's team made a breakthrough. He used magnetic inclination to help calculate the pole's location.
A famous moment occurred on January 16, 1909, during the Nimrod Expedition. Three men named Douglas Mawson, Edgeworth David, and Alistair Mackay claimed to find the pole. They were part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's team. At that time, the pole was located on land. The men even planted a flagpole to claim the spot for the British Empire. However, modern scientists have some doubt about their exact location. They estimate the pole was near 72.5°S, 160°E at that time.
The south magnetic pole is always drifting due to polar drift. This movement is a result of changes in the magnetic field. It is currently moving northwest at a rate of about 15 kilometers per year. This speed is different from the north magnetic pole. The north pole began wandering much faster in the mid-1990s. The south pole did not show a similar increase in speed. Currently, the pole is about 2,700 kilometers away from the geographic South Pole.
Recent data shows exactly how much the pole has moved. In 2005, calculations placed the pole at 64.2°S, 135.8°E. This position was near Vostok Station and off the coast of Antarctica. By 2015, the pole had moved to a new estimated location. This new spot lies outside the Antarctic Circle. The nearest permanent science station to the pole is Dumont d'Urville Station. Tracking these shifts helps us understand the massive systems that govern our planet's magnetism.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (1)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.