Is There No End to the Madness??

[Beverly]

As if there isn't enough to worry about....

The movement of Earth's north magnetic pole across the Canadian arctic, 1831 - 2001:

The pole kept going during the 20th century, north at an average speed of 10 km per year, lately accelerating "to 40 km per year," says Newitt. At this rate it will exit North America and reach Siberia in a few decades.

Keeping track of the north magnetic pole is Newitt's job. "We usually go out and check its location once every few years," he says. "We'll have to make more trips now that it is moving so quickly."

Supercomputer models of Earth's magnetic field. On the left is a normal dipolar magnetic field, typical of the long years between polarity reversals. On the right is the sort of complicated magnetic field Earth has during the upheaval of a reversal:



Full article can be found at: http://www.firstscience.com/SITE/ARTICLES/magnet.asp