If you are using a compass in the Rocky Mountains, your magnetic declination will be?

Question

West of true North
East of true North
Unaffected

Answer 1

Magnetic declination is the angle between the direction to the earth's rotational axis and the direction to the magnetic north pole. In North America (except in the extreme north), both of these points are in the same direction in an approximate north-south line running just west of the Great Lakes roughly following the Mississippi River. Because the earth's north rotational axis lies north of the magnetic north pole (by "true" direction), all points lying west of that line have an "east" or "positive" declination, and points to the east have an "east" or "negative" declination.

Montana would have an east declination, ie, the magnetic compass would point east of true north. The correction is opposite of the declination, so you would need to correct to the west. The declination in Montana ranges from 10° to 17° east, depending on what part of the Big Sky state you are in. You said the Rocky Mountains, so that would be the western part of Montana, and the declination would be about 15° to 17° east of true north.

Answer 2

West of true north

Answer 3

east of true north

Answer 4

it is west of true north

Answer 5

The local transverse Mercator projection will tell you.

Answer 6

approx 8 degrees

Answer 7

unaffected