Local attraction
Local attraction in surveying refers to the deviation of a compass needle from its correct alignment with the magnetic north, caused by nearby magnetic influences that distort the Earth's magnetic field.[1][2] This phenomenon primarily affects compass-based measurements in traversing and orientation tasks, leading to inaccurate bearings that can compromise the precision of surveys for mapping, construction, and navigation. Common sources of local attraction include ferrous materials such as iron or steel structures, underground cables carrying electric current, railroad tracks, and even tools like steel tapes used in the field.[1][2] These local magnetic fields superimpose on the Earth's geomagnetic field, causing the needle to settle at an incorrect position rather than pointing true magnetic north.[1] Detection of local attraction typically occurs during fieldwork by comparing the fore bearing (direction observed from one end of a line) and back bearing (direction from the opposite end), which should differ by exactly 180° in the absence of errors; any deviation indicates the presence of attraction at one or both stations.[2] Effects are station-specific, meaning all bearings taken at an affected station are equally influenced, but unaffected stations remain accurate. To mitigate local attraction, surveyors employ correction methods such as identifying error-free lines (those with exact 180° fore-back differences) and applying calculated adjustments to affected bearings, or balancing errors across a closed traverse using the known sum of interior angles ((2n - 4) × 90° for n sides).[1][2] In practice, avoiding magnetic materials near the compass or using non-magnetic alternatives like theodolites for precise work helps prevent such issues, ensuring reliable geospatial data in civil engineering and land surveying applications.Overview and Fundamentals
Definition
Local attraction refers to the deviation of a magnetic compass needle from its normal position due to the influence of nearby magnetic fields, resulting in erroneous directional readings during surveying or navigation activities.[1] This disturbance arises when external magnetic materials interfere with the needle's alignment, preventing it from accurately pointing toward the magnetic north. The phenomenon specifically impacts the horizontal component of the Earth's magnetic field, to which the compass needle is responsive in its free rotation within the horizontal plane.[3] As a result, local magnetic influences distort this horizontal component, introducing angular errors in the observed bearings of survey lines or navigational paths. Local attraction is distinct from magnetic declination, which represents the global angular difference between true north and magnetic north at a given location, and from deviation, which stems from inherent magnetic properties within the compass instrument itself.[1] Unlike declination's broader geographic variation or deviation's consistent instrumental bias, local attraction is inherently site-specific, temporary, and caused by proximate external sources.[4] The relationship between observed and true bearings incorporates local attraction as an error component, expressed in the basic equation:Observed bearing = True bearing + Declination + Deviation + Local attraction
(with appropriate signs based on direction: east positive, west negative). This formulation accounts for the cumulative effects on compass readings in magnetic surveying.