Where is the true north? How the magnetic north pole is drifting away from Canada — and toward Russia

A lesser known feature of the planet Earth’s magnetic field has recently gained a special Canadian connection that is often overlooked in the better known science story about the magnetic north pole drifting away from Canada toward Russia.

The wandering north pole typically gets a round of media attention every five years when there is a new update to the World Magnetic Model, basically a map of the local variations in the planet’s magnetic field that is used for precise calculation in navigation systems.