In Earth's core, motions of liquid iron act as a dynamo producing the geomagnetic field. This course explores the composition, structure and physical conditions in Earth's core and describes the geomagnetic field before focusing on the geodynamo mechanism. An interdisciplinary perspective is adopted involving electromagnetism and fluid dynamics but also seismology and mineral physics.

This course aims to provide the students with a general introduction of the fundamental concepts of fluid dynamics such as viscous flows, potential flows, instabilities. The course is a combination of lectures, exercises and demo experiments.