Where Earth's spin axis points today
Earth's rotation axis — the imaginary line it physically spins around — doesn't stay fixed. It wobbles in a small orbit around the geographic north pole, driven by mass shifting on the planet's surface. The IERS measures it daily; we compare today against 53 years of history.
Not to be confused with magnetic pole drift (where compasses point — the magnetic north pole's geographic position, a separate phenomenon). This is the rotation axis: where Earth actually spins.
Anomalous axis behavior is a signature of mass redistribution — sometimes from events that haven't shown up clearly in other signals yet. A single unusual day means very little; atmospheric storms do this routinely. What matters is sustained anomaly or convergent anomaly across signals (axis + magnetic + seismic activating together). TerraSignal cross-references all of them.
No predictive value claimed. We compare today's reading to 53 years of IERS-final data and surface the statistical position. The interpretation is yours.
Two superimposed oscillations dominate. The Chandler wobble (~14 month period) is Earth's natural elastic resonance — atmosphere and ocean keep it ringing. The annual wobble (12 month) tracks seasonal mass redistribution. Together they beat against each other on a ~6 year cycle.
- 2011 · 03 · 11Tohoku M9.0 quake — permanent +17 cm pole shift.
- 1990s →Greenland ice loss drifts the long-term wobble center ~10 cm/yr toward 80°W.
- recurringEl Niño / La Niña cycles measurably modulate the annual wobble.
- continuousMajor weather systems drive minute-to-minute oscillations.