VIRTUAL MAGNETIC POLES, MAGNETIC-ANOMALIE S, AND POSITION OF THE NORTHERN MAGNETIC-POLE

This work is based on a study of the positions and motions of recent v irtual magnetic poles. The positions of these poles were calculated us ing data from global network of magnetic observatories, repeat station s and other observations in the Arctic. It is shown that there is a co nsiderable difference in the derived positions of the virtual magnetic poles compared with the positions expected from a dipole. The scatter of the VMPs is more than 40 degrees of are but it is not accidental. Calculations of the motion of the VMPs show that their mean velocity i s equal to 8 km per year, but uniform westward and uniform northward d rifts are absent. A correlation between the positions of Arctic VMPs a nd the positions of the Canadian and Siberian anomalies is also eviden t.