Chasing the Poles using SAS Visual Analytics - 400+ Years of Magnetic Wander
Have you ever wondered why "true north" isn't always where your compass points? 🧭 This infographic visualizes the historical shifts in Earth's magnetic north pole from 1600 to 2025, using data from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Our planet is dynamic - for example: the magnetic north pole has shifted over 1,100 km since 1900, accelerating in recent decades toward Siberia.
The infographic uses two geographic maps for each pole showing the magnetic pole tracks. The yellow pin shows the True pole position. Each arrow in the vector plot shows how a compass needle would have pointed in different years from five global cities—revealing the fascinating and continuous drift between magnetic and geographic north.
The bottom bar chart shows the changes in pole movement speed. Interestingly the increased movement for the North Magnetic pole since 2000. Is a pole flip due?
Enjoy!
