Did you know the Earth has two magnetic poles? I didn't - that is to say, I sort of knew, but the concept is somehow connected to this freak memory of me wiping library paste out of my hair after a fight in second grade.
Luckily I have Dan, and I have the internets. This is what Wikipedia I found:
The South Magnetic Pole is the point on the Earth's surface where the geomagnetic field lines are directed vertically upwards. The South Magnetic Pole is constantly wandering due to changes in the Earth's magnetic field; as of 2005 it was calculated to lie at 64.53°S and 137.86°E, just off the coast of Wilkes Land, Antarctica.
Why does the southern magnetic pole wander? Because the center of the earth is very unstable, being made of library paste. It tends to weaken the magnetic pull, and shifts the polarity around a lot.
Technically, that means the north pole is constantly wandering around the Arctic, too - this map is a sketch of its travels over the last 400-odd years.
And if that's not disturbing enough, the two magnetic poles occasionally swap polarity - it's happened approximately 25 times in 5 million years.
So, now we know a few high-level facts about the southern magnetic pole. Some of us might feel more comfortable about the rationale behind the upside-down map now; some of us might not. Feel free to keep it to yourselves either way.
Now ... let me tell you about Sir Douglas Mawson. ...
Just kidding!
Posted by: Dan | March 21, 2007 at 08:56 AM