New
Theory
of
the
Earth
Don
L.
Ande
rs
on
Seismological
Laboratory,
California
Institute
of
Technology,
Pasadena,
California
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY
PRESS
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rg/978
0521849593
©
D.
L.
And
erso
n
2007
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nt
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ing
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e
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published
2007
Reprinted
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g
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Cataloging
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Publication
data
Anderson,
Don
L.
The
new
theory
of
the
Earth
J
Don
L.
Ander
so
n.
p.
em.
Includes
bibliographical
referenc
es
and
index.
ISBN
0-521-84959-4
(hardback)
1.
Earth
sciences-Textbooks
.
l.
Anderson,
Don
L.
Theory
of
the
Earth.
ll.
Title.
QE26.3.A53
2006
551.1
'
1-dc22
2006014726
ISBN-13
978-0-521-84959-3
hardba
ck
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University
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e
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on
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h
websites
i
s,
or
will
remain,
accurate
or
appropriate.
New
Theory
of
the
Earth
New
71teory
of
the
Earth
is
an
interdisciplinary
advanced
textbook
on
all
aspects
of
the
interior
of
the
Earth
and
its
origin,
composition,
and
evolution:
geophysics,
geochemistry,
dynamics,
convection,
mineralogy
,
volcanism,
energetics
and
thermal
history.
This
is
the
only
book
on
the
whole
landscape
of
deep
Earth
processes
that
ties
together
all
the
strands
of
the
subdisciplines.
This
book
is
a
complete
update
of
Anderson's
71teory
of
the
Earth
(1989).
It
includes
dozens
of
new
figures
and
tables.
A
novel
referencing
system
using
Googlets
is
introduced
that
allows
immediate
access
to
supplementary
material
via
the
internet.
There
are
new
sections
on
tomography,
self-organization,
and
new
approaches
to
plate
tectonics.
The
paradigm/paradox
approach
to
developing
new
theories
is
developed,
and
controversies
and
contradictions
have
been
brought
more
center-stage.
As
with
the
Theory
of
the
Earth,
this
new
edition
will
prove
to
be
a
stimulating
textbook
for
advanced
courses
in
geophysics,
geochemistry,
and
planetary
science,
and
a
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.
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
(RPJ),
his
M.S
.
and
Ph.D
.
in
Mathematics
and
Geophysics
from
Caitech,
and
Doctors
Honoris
Causa
from
the
Sorbo
nne,
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
RP
I
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.
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
....
Both
as
survey
and
synthesis,
Anderson's
text,
the
first
in
its
field,
will
be
of
great
benefit
to
students
around
the
world."
Peter].
Smith,
Department
of
Earth
Sciences,
Open
University
"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,
Department
of
Earth
Sciences,
University
of
Western
Ontario
"
.. .
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
"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,
author
of
Physics
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,
Times
Higher
Education
Supplement
Pre-publication
praise
of
New
Theory
of
the
Earth
"Anderson's
masterful
synthesis
in
New
Theory
of
the
Earth
builds
upon
his
classic
1989
text,
weaving
an
extraordinary
breadth
of
new
perspectives
and
insights
into
a cogent,
provocative
and
nuanced
vision
of
our
planet's
history
and
inner
workings.
This
is
a must-read
for
all
scientists
seeking
to
understand
the
Earth."
Thorne
Lay
,
Professor
of
Earth
and
Planetary
Sciences,
University
of
California,
Santa
Cruz
"New
Theory
of
the
Earth
can
be highly
recommended
for
the
book
shelf
of
any
serious
student
of
geodynamics.
The
book
contains
a
wealth
of
data
on
a wide
variety
of
subjects
in
petrology,
geochemistry,
and
geophysics.
It
is
well
written
and
reads
smoothly
...
. Many
challenging
and
stimulating
views
are
presented
."
Donald
L.
Turcotte
,
Distinguished
Professor,
Department
of
Geology,
University
of
California
at
Davis
"Don
Anderson
is
the
only
Earth
scientist
with
the
breadth
of
knowledge
and
insight
necessary
to
write
this
book-
a fascinating
combination
of
basic
data,
explanation
of
concepts,
speculation,
and
philosophy.
Now,
almost
half
a
century
after
the
realization
of
plate
tectonics,
there
are
rumblings
of
dissatisfaction
over
long-held
concepts
of
plumes
and
mantle
convection
that
are
thought
to
drive
plate
tectonics,
and
Don
Anderson
is
leading
th
e charge.
This
makes
New
Theory
of
the
Eart
h
an
especially
provocative
and
exciting
reference
for
all
of
us
scrambling
to
understand
how
the
Earth
works."
Dean
C.
Presnall,
Department
of
Geosciences,
University
of
Texas
at
Dallas
and
Geophysical
Laboratory,
Carnegie
In
stitute
of Washington
"This
remarkable
book
by
a
master
geophysicist
should
be
studied
by
everyone,
from
junior
graduate
student
to
senior
researcher,
interested
in
geodynamics,
tectonics,
petrology,
and
geochemistry.
Here
are
all
the
factors
omitted
from
widely
accepted
models,
to
their
detriment:
truly
multidisciplinary
physics,
geophysics,
mineral
physics,
phase
petrology,
statistics,
and
much,
much
more
."
Warren
B.
Hamilton
,
Distinguished
Senior
Scientist,
Department
of
Geophysics,
Colorado
School
Mines
"An
old
adage
says
that
there
are
no
true
students
of
the
earth
because
we
dig
our
small
holes
and
sit
in
them.
This
book
is
a
striking
counter
example
that
synthesizes
a
broad
range
of
topics
dealing
with
the
planet's
struct
ure,
evolution,
and
dynamics.
Even
readers
who
disa
g ree
with
some
of
the
arguments
will
find
them
insightful
and
stimulating."
Seth
Stein,
William
Deering
Professor
of
Geological
Sciences,
Northwestern
University
It
was
a
long
time
before
man
came
to
understand
that
an
y
true
theory
of
the
earth
must
rest
upon
evidence
furnished
by
the
globe
itself
and
that
no
such
theory
could
properly
be
framed
until
a
large
body
of
evidence
had
been
gathered
together.
Sir
Archibald
Geike,
I
905
We
now
know
that
science
cannot
grow
out
of
empiricism
alone,
that
in
the
constructions
of
science
we
need
to
use
free
invention
which
only
a
posteriori
can
be
confronted
with
experience
as
to
its
usefulness
...
the
more
primitive
the
status
of
science
is,
the
more
readily
can
the
scientist
live
under
the
illusion
that
he
is
a
pure
empiricist
Albert
Einstein
Contents
Preface
and
Philosophy
Abbreviations
and
acronyms
Part
I
I
Planetary
perspective
Chapter
1
Origin
and
early
history
Chapter
2
Comparative
planetology
Chapter
3
The
building
blocks
of
planets
Part
II
I
Earth:
the
dynamic
planet
Chapter
4
The
outer
shells
of
Earth
Chapter
5
The
eclogite
engine
Chapter
6
The
shape
of
the
Earth
Chapter
7
Convection
and
complexity
Part
Ill
I
Radial
and
lateral
structure
Chapter
8
Let's
take
it
from
the
top:
the
crust
and
upper
mantle
Chapter
9
A
laminated
lumpy
mantle
Chapter
10
The
bowels
of
the
Earth
Chapter
11
Geotomography:
heterogeneity
of
the
m.
antle
Part
IV
I
Sampling
the
Earth
Chapter
12
Statistics
and
other
damned
lies
Chapter
13
Making
an
Earth
Chapter
14
Magmas:
windows
into
the
mantle
Chapter
15
The
hard
rock
cafe
Chapter
16
Noble
gas
isotopes
Chapter
17
The
other
isotopes
Part
V
I
Mineral
physics
Chapter
18
Elasticity
and
solid-state
geophysics
Chapter
19
Dissipation
Chapter
20
Fabric
of
the
mantle
Chapter
21
Nonelastic
and
transport
properties
Chapter
22
Squeezing:
phase
changes
and
mantle
mineralogy
pageix
xiv
1
3
12
22
33
35
58
62
73
89
91
109
116
124
141
143
153
168
189
198
211
231
233
246
256
274
282
vii
i
CONTENTS
Part
VI
I
Origin
and
evolution
of
the
layers
and
blobs
299
Chapter
23
The
upper
mantle
301
Chapter
24
The
nature
and
cause
of
mantle
heterogeneity
312
Chapter
25
Crystallization
of
the
mantle
3
18
Part
VII
I
Energetics
331
Chapter
26
Terrestrial
heat
flow
3
33
Chapter
27
The
thermal
history
of
the
Earth
349
Refere
n
ces
a
nd
no
tes
356
Appen di x
375
In
dex
380
Preface
and
Philosophy
A
mind
is
a
fire
to
be
kindled,
not
a
vessel
to
be
filled.
Plutarch
Go
not
where
the
path
le
ads;
go
where
there
is
no
path
and
leave
a
trail.
Ralph
Waldo
Emerson
Science
progresses
by
interchanging
the
roles
of
prejudice
,
paradox
and
paradigm.
Yesterday
's
prejudice
leads
to
today's
paradox
and
tomor-
row's
'truth.'
An
accumulation
of
paradoxes.
enig-
mas
and
coincidences
means
that
it
is
time
to
step
back
and
start
anew.
Plate
tectonics
,
mantle
convection,
isotope
geochemistry
and
seismic
tomography
are
now
mature
sciences,
but
they
share
an
uncomfortable
coexistence.
They
are
all
part
of
what
may
be
described
as
the
not-
yet-unified
standard
model
of
mantle
dynamics
.
Evidence
for
this
disunification
is
the
number
of
times
that
the
words
paradox,
enigma,
surprise,
unexpected,
counter-intuitive
and
inconsistent
appear
in
the
current
literature
of
mantle
geochemistry
and
tomography.
and
the
number
of
meetings
dedicated
to
solving
'
long
standing
paradoxes'
between
geophysics
and
geochemistry.
In
the
jar-
gon
of
the
day,
present
models
of
geodynamics
are
not
robust.
The
maturing
of
the
Earth
sciences
has
led
to
a
fragmentation
into
subdisciplines
that
speak
imperfectly
to
one
another.
Some
of
these
sub-
disciplines
are
field
geology,
petrology
,
mineral-
ogy,
geochemistry,
geodesy
and
seismology
,
and
these
in
turn
are
split
into
even
finer
units.
The
science
has
also
expanded
to
include
the
planets
and
even
the
cosmos.
The
practitioners
in
each
of
these
fields
tend
to
view
Earth
in
completely
different
ways.
Discoveries
in
one
field
diffuse
only
slowly
into
the
consciousness
of
a special-
ist
in
another.
In
spite
of
the
fact
that
there
is
only
one
Earth,
there
are
more
Theories
of
the
Earth
than
there
are
of
astronomy,
particle
physics
or
cell
biology
where
there
are
uncount-
able
samples
of
each
object.
Even
where
there
is
cross-talk
among
disciplines,
it
is
usually
in
code
and
mixed
with
white
noise.
Too
often.
one
discipline's
unproven
assumptions
or
dogmas
are
treated
as
firm
boundary
conditions
for
a
theoretician
in
a
slightly
overlapping
area
.
The
data
of
each
subdiscipline
are
usually
consis-
tent
with
a
range
of
hypotheses.
More
often,
the
data
are
completely
consistent
with
none
of
the
standard
models.
The
possibilities
can
be
nar-
rowed
considerably
as
more
and
more
diverse
data
and
ways
of
thinking
are
brought
to
bear
on
a
particular
problem
.
The
questions
of
origin,
composition
and
evolution
of
the
Earth
require
input
from
astronomy,
cosmochemistry,
mete-
oritics.
planetology,
geology,
petrology.
mineral-
ogy,
crystallography,
fluid
dynamics,
materials
science
and
seismology.
at
a
minimum.
To
a
stu-
dent
of
the
Earth,
these
are
artificial
divisions,
however
necessary
they
are
to
make
progress
on
a
given
front
. New
ways
oflooking
at
things,
new
sciences,
keep
things
lively
.
Advances
in
mate-
rials
science,
statistics.
chaos
theory,
far-from-
equilibrium
thermodynamics.
geochemistry
and
tomography
make
this
an
appropriate
time
to
update
our
theory
of
the
Earth.
The
timing
is
also
appropriate
in
that
there
is
a
widespread
feeling
of
crisis
and
frustration
amongst
workers
in
mantle
dynamics
and
geo-
chemistry.
Tite
paradigm
of
la
yered
mantle
convection
was
establis
hed
nearly
20
years
ago,
mostly
based
on
geoc
hemical
mass
balance
and
heat
bud
get
arguments.
It
is
now
stumbling
over
the
difficulty
imposed
by
convectio
n models
to
maintain
a
sharp
interface
in
the
mantle
at
mid-depth
and
by
overw
helmin
g tomographic
evidence
that
at
least
some
of
the
subducting
lith
osphe
1ic
plates
are
currently
reaching
the
core-mantle
boundary.
The
present
situation,
how
ever,
remains
frustrating
because
the
reasons
why
the
layered
convectio
n model
was
defended
in
the
first
place
are
still
there
and
do
not
find
a proper
answer
with
the
mod
el
of
homogeneous
mantle
convection.
(www.theconference.com
iJConfAbs/6/A
lbar
ede.
html)
X
I
PREFACE
AND
PHILOSOPHY
Recent
discoveries
in
a
variety
of
fields
are
converging
on
a
simple
model
of
geody-
namics
and
geochemistry
that
is
inconsistent
with
current
widely
held
views.
These
develop-
ments
include
noble-gas
measurements,
mantle
tomography,
convection
simulations,
statistics,
quantum-mechanical
equations
of
state,
age
dat-
ing,
paleomagnetism,
petrology
and
techniques
to
infer
temperatures
and
small-scale
heterogene-
ity
of
the
mantle.
Recognition
that
density
vari-
ations
as
small
as
1%,
which
are
unavoidable
in
the
accretion
and
differentiation
of
the
Earth,
can
irreversibly
stratify
the
mantle
is
one
such
development
.
Multidisciplinarity
is
more
essential
than
ever.
But
we
must
also
honor
the
venerable
rules
of
logic
and
scientific
inference.
Fallacies
and
paradoxes
are
waiting
to
surprise
and
annoy
us
,
but
they
tell
us
that
we
are
malting
bad
assumptions
or
that
we
are
living
in
the
wrong
paradigm.
A
seismologist
struggling
with
the
meaning
of
seismic
velocity
anomalies
beneath
various
tec-
tonic
provinces,
or
in
the
vicinity
of
a
deeply
sub-
ducting
slab,
is
apt
to
interpret
seismic
results
in
terms
of
temperature
variations
in
a
homoge-
neous,
isotropic
half-space
or
relative
to
a
stan-
dard
model.
However,
the
petrological
aspects
-
variations
in
mineralogy
,
crystal
orientation
or
partial
melt
content-
are
much
more
important
than
temperature.
These,
in
turn,
require
knowl-
edge
of
phase
equilibria,
mineralogy,
anisotropy
and
material
properties
.
An
isotope
geochemist,
upon
finding
evidence
for
several
components
in
the
rocks
and
being
generally
aware
of
the
geophysical
evidence
for
a
crust
and
a
650
km
discontinuity,
will
tend
to
interpret
the
chemical
data
in
terms
of
ancient
isolated
reservoirs,
a
'normal'
mantle
source
and
a
lower
mantle
source
.
The
'standard'
petrolog-
ical
model
is
a
homogeneous
peridotite
mantle
containing
about
20%
basalt,
available
as
needed,
to
fuel
the
midocean
ridges
with
uniform
mag-
mas.
Exotic
basalts
are
assumed
to
be
from
the
core-mantle
boundary.
The
crust
and
shallow
mantle
may
be
inhomogeneous,
but
the
rest
of
the
mantle
is
viewed
as
well
homogenized
by
con-
vection.
Numerous
paradoxes
occur
in
the
stan-
dard
'
box'
models
of
mantle
geochemistry
.
The
convection
theoretician
, for
'simplicity'
,
treats
the
mantle
as
a
homogeneous
fluid
or
as
a
two-layered
system,
with
constant
physical
properties,
driven
by
temperature-induced
buoy-
ancy,
ignoring
melting
and
phase
changes
and
even
pressure
.
Thermodynamic
self-consistency
and
realistic
boundary
conditions
-
such
as
the
inclusion
of
continents
-
can
completely
change
the
outcome
of
a
convection
simulation
.
In
New
Theory
of
the
Earth
I
attempt
to
assemble
the
bits
and
pieces
from
a
variety
of
disciplines,
including
new
disciplines,
which
are
relevant
to
an
understanding
of
the
Earth.
Rocks
and
mag-
mas
are
our
most
direct
source
of
information
about
the
interior,
but
they
are
biased
toward
the
properties
of
the
crust
and
shallow
mantle.
Seis-
mology
is
our
best
source
of
information
about
the
deep
interior;
however,
the
interpretation
of
seismic
data
for
purposes
other
than
purely
struc-
tural
requires
input
from
solid-state
physics
and
experimental
petrology.
One
cannot
look
at
a few
selected
color
cross-sections
of
the
mantle,
dra-
matic
as
they
are,
and
infer
temperature.
or
com-
position
or
the
style
of
mantle
convection
.
There
is
not
a
simple
scaling
between
seismic
velocity
and
temperature.
The
new
theory
of
the
Earth
developed
here
differs
in
many
respects
from
conventional
views
.
Petrologist's
models
for
the
Earth
's
interior
usu-
ally
focus
on
the
composition
of
mantle
samples
contained
in
basalts
and
kimberlites
from
the
shallow
mantle.
The
'simplest'
hypothesis
based
on
these
samples
is
that
the
observed
basalts
and
peridotites
bear
a
complementary
relation
to
one
another,
that
peridotites
are
the
source
of
basalts
or
the
residue
after
their
removal,
and
that
the
whole
mantle
is
identical
in
com-
position
to
the
inferred
chemistry
of
the
upper
mantle
and
the
basalt
source
region.
The
mantle
is
therefore
homogeneous
in
composition,
and
thus
all
parts
of
the
mantle
eventually
rise
to
the
surface
to
provide
basalts.
Subducted
slabs
expe-
rience
no
barrier
in
falling
through
the
mantle
to
the
core-mantle
boundary.
Geochemists
have
defined
a
variety
of
distinct
reservoirs,
or
source
regions,
based
on
imperfect
understanding
of
seismic
results
and
of
statis-
tics,
particularly
of
the
central
limit
theorem
.
Midocean
ridge
basalts
are
viewed
as
a
unique