Amundsen's Difficult Search for the Elusive North Magnetic Pole during His Voyage to the North West Passage. (3rd July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vondrak, Richard R.
• Is Part Of: Terrae incognitae. Volume 50:Number 2(2018)
• Page Start: 146
• Page End: 174
• Publication Date: 2018-07-03
• Subjects: polar exploration -- North Magnetic Pole -- Northwest passage -- Roald Amundsen -- James Clark Ross -- Gjøahavn; Mots clés: l'exploration polaire -- le pôle Nord magnétique -- le passage du Nord-Ouest -- Roald Amundsen -- James Clark Ross -- Gjøahavn; Palabras clave: exploración polar -- Polo Norte Magnético -- Paso del Noroeste -- Roald Amundsen -- James Clark Ross -- Gjøahavn; Discoveries in geography -- History -- Periodicals; Intercultural communication -- History -- Periodicals; 910.9
• DOI: 10.1080/00822884.2018.1498640
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0082-2884

Abstract

Abstract : During his epic voyage through the North West Passage, Roald Amundsen's primary goal was to find the North Magnetic Pole, the point where the earth's magnetic field points vertically downward. In 1903, he interrupted his voyage, which he might have completed that year, to establish a camp at Gjøahavn in northern Canada. In 1904, he traveled to the vicinity of the North Magnetic Pole, establishing that it had moved northward since its discovery by James Clark Ross in 1831. For several weeks, Amundsen made magnetic measurements at different places, but was frustrated because he could not pinpoint the Pole's location. He remained another year at Gjøahavn to explore and to learn from the Inuit their skills for Arctic survival, which enabled the success of his future polar explorations. The modern understanding of geomagnetic variations solves the puzzle of why his search was so difficult and why he thought he was unsuccessful.