The Earth's magnetic North Pole is reluctant to move towards Russia, with its shift towards Siberia significantly slowing down.

The magnetic North Pole of the Earth has been drifting towards Russia since the early 19th century, but now at a significantly slower pace, reports DailyMail.

Unlike the geographic North Pole, which is the northernmost point on Earth, the magnetic North Pole is the direction to which compass needles point. In contrast to the geographic pole, the magnetic pole does not have a fixed location, changing in response to magnetic activity beneath the Earth's crust.

Currently, an unknown event beneath the surface has caused the molten iron in the Earth's core to move at a reduced speed, leading to the magnetic North Pole's movement slowing to 25 km per year. This data was provided by the World Magnetic Model, which tracks the Earth's magnetic poles.

According to experts, this is half the speed recorded in the 2000s and nearly 16 km per year less than in 2020 during the last model update.

"For a very long time, the magnetic pole moved very slowly around Canada, starting from the 1500s. Over the past 20 years, it accelerated and shifted towards Siberia, increasing its speed each year until about 5 years ago when the pole suddenly slowed from 50 to 40 km per year," says Ciaran Beggan from the British Geological Survey.

He noted that scientists have never observed such behavior, which complicates predictions of changes in the magnetic field.

"At the same time, the magnetic South Pole is moving very slowly. And we do not know exactly why such differences are observed," adds Beggan.

Although such changes may seem distant from everyday life, they significantly impact us. For instance, magnetic compasses are fundamental to modern navigation, including smartphone compasses.

Shifts in the Earth's magnetic field can also affect the drilling of oil and gas wells or the study of seismic activity on the planet.

The magnetic North Pole was first discovered in 1831 by Sir James Clark Ross, a British Arctic explorer. Since then, the magnetic pole has been moving towards Siberia.

The fluctuations of the magnetic North Pole may depend on the "jet stream" of liquid iron in the Earth's core, believes Professor Phil Livermore from the University of Leeds. Observing the movement of this flow could enhance predictions, but the issue is that liquid iron is located deep beneath the Earth's crust.

It is worth noting that the Earth's magnetic field is on the brink of a reversal. A physicist warns that this movement of the magnetic poles could lead to changes in the Earth's climate and affect the functioning of modern technologies.