Geomagnetic field: Contribution of higher harmonics to the variations of virtual pole positions

Summary On the basis of the 1945 IGRF two sets of virtual geomagnetic poles have been computed and compared. The first set refers to a realistic model of the field; these virtual poles are all located in the north polar area. The second set refers to an artificial field containing higher harmonics only; these virtual poles are distributed over the Earth's surface as a whole. However both sets of virtual poles yield similar distributions of values of their space (and probably also time) variations.