I propose a new model for the source of the flat Earth's magnetic field. Instead of the Earth being a single magnet with the north pole in the center and the south pole as a non-single-point curve around the rim, can we have have the Earth contain or be made of up many bar magnets, each with its north pole at the center? It would look something like this:
I realize of course that there are certain problems with this model, but I think I can address them:
Q: Wouldn't be strong repulsive forces pushing the magnets apart, essentially tearing the Earth apart?
A: This force would definitely exist, but the picture is just to get an idea of the arrangements -- not the size or density -- of the magnets. I don't mean to suggest that the entire Earth is comprised entirely of enormous magnets; merely that there is magnetic material mixed in with the nonmagnetic material, and that this magnetic material is arranged just like the magnetic material in bar magnets.
Q: What's with the hole in the middle?
A: Partly it was a way of decreasing the repulsive forces at the center of the world. Partly it was, well, I figured it would be easier to accept the bar-magnet idea if the magnets were actually bar shaped. Also, the figure isn't too scale; in reality the hole would be much smaller. But don't forget, if you use a compass right on the north pole, it just spins around a lot, which is exactly what you'd expect from this model. Lastly, this gives the model more freedom to place the magnetic north pole (see below).
Q: But the magnetic north pole isn't at the same place as the geographic north pole...
A: True, but I don't insist that all the bar magnets be equally strong. Maybe bar magnet #7 is a bit stronger than the others, which would make compasses tend to point a bit more towards that one. That's another reason to have the hole -- this way the magnetic north pole doesn't need to be right at the center.
As a final note, you should take this figure as a schematic; it's not meant to be to scale. There would probably be many more than ten bar magnets, and each would be much narrower. The hole is probably way too big, and there's no need for spaces in between the bar magnets.
So... comments? Questions?
-Erasmus