Lecture 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE EARTH. A physical and chemical description will be given of the Earth from the centre to the top of the stratosphere and I will indicate how fluid mechanical thinking can be used to understand many of the fundamental processes. This part of the lecture will be copiously illustrated by colour slides of real situations. Lecture 2 STABILITY THEORY. The fundamentals of linear stability theory and some of the consequences of the subsequent nonlinear motions will be outlined. Lecture 3 THERMAL AND DOUBLE-DIFFUSIVE CONVECTION. The motion of light fluid underlying heavy fluid between two horizontal planes will be outlined along with the situation where the density difference is due to two components, such as heat and salt. Lecture 4 PLUMES. The convective motion from a point source, which leads to vertically rising motion and is seen in cigarette smoke, plumes from chimney stacks and volcanic eruption plumes, will be described. Lecture 5 MELTING. The melting of solids by the flow of adjacent hot fluids will be analysed. Lecture 6 GRAVITY CURRENTS. The predominantly horizontal motion due to fluid of one density intruding into fluid of a different density will be described, along with numerous examples such as oil spreading over the ocean, lava spreading over the ground and relatively cold, moist and heavy air spreading at the base of the atmosphere. Lecture 7 PARTICLE-DRIVEN FLOWS. The motion of fluids driven by particles suspended in interstitial fluid of a different density will be outlined and analysed. Some of the applications will be to hot, ground-hugging pyroclastic flows as a result of a volcanic eruption. Lecture 8 ERUPTIVE VOLCANOES. Large storage reservoirs of liquid rock, known as magma chambers, exist beneath all volcanoes and are connected to the crater by a conduit. Some of the latest ideas of processes that go on in the chamber and in the conduit will be analysed.