Whats the difference between geographic north pole and the magnetic pole of the earth?
There are actually three pairs of poles: – The geographic poles; which are the points on the earth’s surface defining the axis of the earth’s rotation. The geographic poles are fixed ansd stable. – The magnetic poles; which are definde where the earth’s magnetic field is perpindicular to the earth’s surface. At the north magnetic pole, the south end of a freely moving compass needle would point straight down. Because of drift in the earth’s magnetic field, the magnetic pole slowly drifts in position – The geomagnetic pole, which is defined by the axis of the earth’s magnetic dipole. Because the earth’s magnetic field is not fixed, the magnetic and geomagnetic axes do not entirely coincide. For people using a compass; it is the magnetic poles the needle points towards. Here’s a ref on the earth’s magnetic field: http://science.nasa.
