The main goal of this short course is to provide an introduction into the basic concepts of numerical modelling of solid Earth processes in the Earth’s crust and mantle in a non-technical manner. We discuss the building blocks of a numerical code and how to set up a model to study geodynamic problems. Emphasis is put on best practices and their implementations including code verification, model validation, internal consistency checks, and software and data management.

The short course introduces the following topics:
(1) The physical model, including the conservation and constitutive equations
(2) The numerical model, including numerical methods, discretisation, and kinematical descriptions
(3) Code verification, including benchmarking
(4) Model design, including modelling philosophies
(5) Model validation and subsequent analysis
(6) Communication of modelling results and effective software, data, and resource management

Armed with the knowledge of a typical numerical modelling workflow, participants will be better able to critically assess geodynamic numerical modelling papers and know how to start with numerical modelling.

This short course is aimed at everyone who is interested in, but not necessarily experienced with, geodynamic numerical models; in particular early career scientists (BSc, MSc, PhD students and postdocs) and people who are new to the field of geodynamic modelling.