New Theory of the Earth

Theory of the Earth is an interdisciplinary advanced textbook on the origin, composition, and evolution of the Earth's interior: geophysics, geochemistry, dynamics, convection, mineralogy, volcanism, energetics and thermal history. This is the only book on the whole landscape of deep Earth processes which ties together all the strands of the subdisciplines. It is a complete update of Anderson's Theory of the Earth (1989). It includes many new sections and dozens of new figures and tables. As with the original book, this new edition will prove to be a stimulating textbook on advanced courses in geophysics, geochemistry, and planetary science, and supplementary textbook on a wide range of other advanced Earth science courses. It will also be an essential reference and resource for all researchers in the solid Earth sciences.

From reviews of the previous edition, Theory of the Earth: ' … Theory of the Earth is one of the most important books of the decade … Anderson is one of a very small group of scientists who have managed to achieve success in both fields [geophysics and geochemistry], providing a dual experience that makes his book an invaluable survey. Theory of the Earth, then, is in part an extensive summary of our current state of knowledge of the Earth's interior, … drawing on a wide variety of scientific disciplines including not only geophysics and geochemistry but solid-state physics, astronomy, crystallography and thermodynamics. It goes much further than merely summarizing knowledge, however, in that it also attempts to integrate the information from different fields in the spirit of an Earth that itself recognizes no humanly devised disciplinary boundaries. Both as survey and synthesis, Anderson's text, the first in its field, will be of great benefit to students around the world.' Peter J. Smith, Open University, From reviews of the previous edition, Theory of the Earth: 'Any scientist today who takes on the task of trying to integrate the mass of diverse observations about Earth into a coherent model is courageous. Anderson has attempted to put together data from modern geophysics, geochemistry, isotope systematics, and petrology and, in large part, has succeeded … this book will introduce the advanced student quite well to the tools of observation we have available to us, and to what we know and don't know about the Earth. … Anderson can be congratulated for producing a document that will be a standard taking-off point for many a future graduate seminar.' William S. Fyfe, University of Western Ontario, From reviews of the previous edition, Theory of the Earth: ' … much to the envy of the rest of us, there are a few people within the Earth-science community who are, well, fairly superhuman. Don Anderson is one of them - as close to being the complete geophysicist/geochemist as anyone is ever likely to be. Theory of the Earth, then, is an extensive summary of practically everything 'known' about the physics, chemistry and physicochemical evolution of the Earth's interior. … Anderson has produced a remarkable synthesis of our present understanding of the Earth's interior.' Nature, From reviews of the previous edition, Theory of the Earth: 'The appearance of this book is a major event in geoscience literature. It is a comprehensive statement on the Physics and Chemistry of the Earth by one of the great authorities of our time. It will occupy a prominent place on our bookshelves for the rest of our professional lives. When we get into an argument with colleagues or face a fundamental problem that we are unsure about we will reach for it: 'Let's see what Anderson says about that'. … a very valuable book.' Frank Stacey, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, From reviews of the previous edition, Theory of the Earth: ' … as in all good scientific books, there is strong concentration on themes with which Anderson has been closely identified over a number of years. … The scope of the book is most impressive: it will be a constantly useful as a source of information that is otherwise extremely time-consuming to track down.' Joe Cann, The Times Higher Education Supplement

Don L. Anderson is Professor (Emeritus) of Geophysics in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He received his B.S. and D.Sc. (Hon) in Geophysics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mathematics and Geophysics from Caltech, and Doctors Honoris Causa from the Sorbonne, University of Paris. He was Director of the Seismological Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology from 1967-1989. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He received the Emil Wiechert Medal of the German Geophysical Society, the Arthur L. Day Gold Medal of the Geological Society of America, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Bowie Medal of the American Geophysical Union, the Crafoord Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science and the National Medal of Science. He was installed in the RPI Hall of Fame in 2005. He is a Past President of the American Geophysical Union. Professor Anderson's research centers on the origin, evolution, structure and composition of Earth and other planets, and integrates seismological, solid state physics, geochemical and petrological data. He is also interested in the philosophy and logic of science.