Don Lynn Anderson (March 5, 1933 – December 2, 2014) was an American geophysicist who made significant contributions to the understanding of the origin, evolution, structure, and composition of Earth and other planets.

After completing his Ph.D. in 1962, Anderson joined the faculty at Caltech and moved on to other areas of study, writing papers on the composition, physical state, and origin of the Earth as well as other planets.

He and his colleagues developed methods for taking into account anisotropy and the non-elastic behavior of seismic waves to explain how the Earth works.

They contributed significantly to the understanding of tectonic plate motions by mapping convection currents in the Earth's mantle using seismological methods.

By taking into account the physics and thermodynamics of Earth materials under the high temperature and pressure conditions in the deep interior, Anderson developed theories that depart from mainstream scientific speculations.

Anderson likened these models to Rudyard Kipling’s “Just-So Stories,” and pointed out that these theories are perpetuated when countervailing evidence is explained away as anomalies or paradoxes.

Counter to prevailing scientific views, Anderson argued that the deeper layers of the mantle are dense and refractory and unable to rise to the surface or to produce basalts.

While many geochemists believe that volcanoes stem from narrow plumes coming up from just above the Earth's core, Anderson showed that they can be explained entirely by chemical and mineralogical anomalies in the upper mantle.

It is through the movement of the plates that the magma is allowed to reach the surface through fracture zones, rifts, volcanoes and so-called hot spots.

[7] Although his work was based on seismology, classical physics and thermodynamics as well as his knowledge of the Earth's interior, Anderson's theories are considered to be controversial because they depart from the prevailing ideas developed by the geochemical community and which are widely cited in influential publications such as Nature and Science.

Anderson's multidisciplinary approach, combined with his expertise in geophysics, geochemistry, solid-state physics, and thermodynamics, enabled him to explain the evolution and structure of the Earth in ways that challenge accepted ideas of his time.

Even readers who disagree with some of the arguments will find them insightful and stimulating.”[citation needed] Anderson died in Cambria, California, on December 2, 2014, from cancer, at the age of 81.