The South Pole Just Moved. Here’s Why

Scientists have just moved the South Pole. Here’s why

By Andrea Thompson edited by Claire Cameron

As the world rang in 2026, scientists in Antarctica did something many of us might think impossible: they moved the South Pole.

When we think of the South Pole, we tend to think of a fixed point on Earth. But it’s smoother than you might think. To begin with, the geographic South Pole is located at the southern tip of the Earth’s axis, roughly in the middle of Antarctica. But this place on our planet does not coincide with the Earth’s magnetic or geomagnetic South Poles: these are linked to the planet’s magnetic field and are located respectively on the Adélie coast and near the Russian Vostok station. Since Earth’s magnetic field changes along with the planet’s core, these two poles are constantly in motion.

What the scientists did, however, was not related to the magnetic field. They moved the marker stuck in the ice above the geographic South Pole. Technically, this pole doesn’t move. But it must be marked: the ice flows around 10 meters per year, so every year, it must be put back in place.

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The Antarctic ice sheet is essentially a very slow-moving frozen river, with ice flowing from the middle of Antarctica out to sea. Warming ocean waters licking ice off the continent’s coasts are destabilizing some glaciers; if they collapse, they could significantly raise global sea levels.

This year, staff at America’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole station hosted the New Year’s Eve ceremony, complete with a stuffed penguin, bagpipes and a newly unveiled marker.

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