Moving up in the world

Australia has shifted by 1.5 metres since the last adjustment was made to its Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates in 1994.

The shift is happening because the IndoAustralian Plate on which the continent sits is being shoved north by the Antarctic plate and pulled under the Eurasian and Pacific plates at the rate of about 6.85 centimetres a year.

The Indo-Australian Plate tends to move fast due to its unique geology. In contrast, the North American plate has been moving roughly 2.54 centimetres a year.

Corrections have been made to Australia's latitude and longitude four times over the past 50 years. Following the latest change, the GPS coordinates would be re-adjusted by the end of this year.

While a few centimetres may sound like a small distance, maps and models of earth can become out of date because of this shift.