Question

Magnetic meridian is a plane _________.
A. Perpendicular to magnetic axis of Earth
B. Passing through the magnetic axis of Earth
C. Perpendicular to geographic axis of Earth
D. Passing through the geographic axis

Answer 1

Hint: Magnetic meridian is a line that is on the earth’s surface. The line is passing through a direction that makes it the horizontal component of the earth’s magnetic field.

Complete answer:
By magnetic meridian, we mean that it is a plane that is perpendicular to the surface of the earth and it passes through the magnetic axis of the earth.

The direction of the resultant magnetic field of the Earth is always along or parallel to that of the magnetic meridian.
Therefore, we can say that a magnetic meridian is a plane that passes through the magnetic axis of the earth.

So, the correct answer is “Option B”.

Additional Information:
Magnetic meridian resembles a vertical line passing through the magnetic axis of a freely suspended magnet. On the other hand, the geometric meridian resembles a vertical line that passes through a place and the geographic north and the south axis. And the angle between these two meridians is known as the magnetic declination.

Note:
We can also define the magnetic meridian to be an equivalent imaginary line which connects the magnetic north and the magnetic south poles. And it can be taken into consideration that it is the horizontal component of the magnetic force lines along the surface of the earth.
Therefore, a compass needle will always be parallel to the magnetic.