Two hundred years ago Sir James Hall provided an explanation for folded rocks at the east coast of Scotland by laterally pushing together pieces of cloth and clay in boxes. This demonstration laid the foundations for utilizing analogue models as a tool for better understanding geological processes and initiated the field of modelling in the Earth sciences. Since then models have become an integral part of many disciplines and are routinely used to gain insights into processes that defy observation, such as those that occur inside the Earth, over long timescales, and/or over large spatial regions. Models have proven to be invaluable for stimulating new ideas, testing hypotheses that would otherwise not be testable, as well as understanding fundamental processes and exploring them in a quantitative manner.

The special issue "Two centuries of modelling across scales" aims at bringing together review articles on modelling in the fields of tectonics, geomorphology, volcanology, rock physics, and geodynamics that emphasise historical developments and current highlights, or explore limitations and future challenges.