spinning compass There is an area where I live that prevents my compass from giving a solid direction; instead it just spins. 
Does this mean that this area lacks a magnetic field, or has to many of them for my compass to get a reading? (Yes. My compass otherwise works correctly everywhere else.)
 A: There are at least two spots on Earth where the magnetic field of the planet
is not horizontal, but is vertical.   Other than those (the magnetic poles),
one expects a compass to take on a stable directional reading, unless
affected by local (not planetary) magnetic field sources.
Large direct currents,
such as the Pacific Direct Current Intertie see map  might
have such an effect over significant distances.  
A: A compass needle will align itself with external magnetic fields. If the external field is static then the compass needle will remain stationary. If the external field is in motion, changing direction, the compass needle will follow accordingly.
A: One thing's for sure: your compass reading showed an unusual magnetic activity. To know which are the causes you should take your compass (or even better, a set of them) on walks or rides around your place and map the magnetic field lines. Maybe there is some current in the earth which is close by in comparison to other places, maybe it's a persistent solar wind (which I can't really imagine), or maybe there are man-made structures which cause this strange behavior.
