My research is concerned with the processes that build and shape the continental crust, with a focus on granite bodies, how they are generated and assembled, and how they form spectacular landscapes such as Yosemite National Park. Links between plate tectonics and magmatism are a favorite topic.

For the geo-nerds out there, I employ field work, geochemistry, U-Pb geochronology, structural geology, and database mining in these efforts.

After 38 years as a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I retired in 2019 to devote more time to writing books for the public, continuing my research, leading field trips, and serving as an expert on Smithsonian Journeys tours.

Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Eastern California: Second Edition, by Allen F. Glazner , Arthur Gibbs Sylvester, et al. | Feb 10, 2022

Geology Underfoot in Southern California, by Arthur Sylvester, Robert Sharp, Allen Glazner, Elizabeth Gans | Apr 15, 2020

Geology Underfoot in Yosemite National Park, by Allen F. Glazner Greg M. Stock | August 1, 2010

Recent publications are listed below. For a more complete list, see Google Scholar.

Glazner, A. F., 2022, Cenozoic magmatism and plate tectonics in western North America: have we got it wrong?: in Foulger, G.R., Hamilton, L.C., Jurdy, D.M., Stein, C.A., Howard, K.A., and Stein, S., eds., In the Footsteps of Warren B. Hamilton: New Ideas in Earth Science: Geological Society of America Special Paper 553, p. 1–14.

Glazner, A. F., & McNutt, S. R., 2021, Relationship between dike injection and b-value for volcanic earthquake swarms: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, v. 126, e2020JB021631.

Glazner, A. F., 2021, Thermal constraints on the longevity, depth, and vertical extent of magmatic systems. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, v. 22, e2020GC009459.

Glazner, A. F., Bartley, J. M., and Law, B. S., 2021, Immiscibility and the origin of ladder structures and schlieren in plutons: Geology, v. 49, p. 86-90.

Glazner, A. F., and Walker, J. D., 2020, StraboTools: a mobile app for quantifying fabric in geology: GSA Today, v. 30, (August issue).

Glazner, A.F., Bartley, J.M., Coleman, D.S., and Lindgren, K., 2020, Aplite diking and infiltration: a differentiation mechanism restricted to plutonic rocks: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, v. 175.

Farmer, G.L., Fritz, D., and Glazner, A.F., 2020, Identifying metasomatized continental lithospheric mantle involvement in Cenozoic magmatism from Ta/Th Values, southwestern North America: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.

Bartley, J.M., Glazner, A.F., Stearns, M.A., and Coleman, D.S., 2020, The granite aqueduct and autometamorphism of plutons: Geosciences, v. 10.

Glazner, A.F., 2020, Climate and the development of magma chambers: Geosciences (Switzerland), v. 10.

Glazner, A.F., 2019, The ascent of water-rich magma and decompression heating: A thermodynamic analysis: American Mineralogist, v. 104, p. 890–896, doi:10.2138/am-2019-6925.

Treiman, A. H., Kulis, M., and Glazner, A. F., 2019, Spinel-anorthosites on the Moon: impact melt origins suggested by enthalpy constraints: American Mineralogist, v. 104, p. 370-384.

Glazner, A. F., Bartley, J. M., and Coleman, D. S., 2019, A more informative way to name plutonic rocks: GSA Today, v. 29, doi.org/10.1130/GSATG384A.1.

Bartley, J.M., Glazner, A.F., and Coleman, D.S., 2018, Dike intrusion and deformation during growth of the Half Dome pluton, Yosemite National Park, California: Geosphere, v. 14, no. 3, doi:10.1130/GES01458.1.

*Challener, S. C., and Glazner, A. F., 2017, Igneous or metamorphic? Hornblende phenocrysts as greenschist facies reaction cells in the Half Dome Granodiorite, California: American Mineralogist, v. 102, p. 436-444.

Glazner, A. F., and P. M. Sadler, 2016, Estimating the duration of geologic intervals from a small number of age determinations: A challenge common to petrology and paleobiology, Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 17, doi:10.1002/2016GC006542.

Glazner, A. F., J. M. Bartley, and D. S. Coleman, 2016, We need a new definition for "magma": Eos, v. 97, doi:10.1029/2016EO059741. Published on 22 September 2016.

Treiman, A. H., and 33 others including Glazner, A. F., 2016, Mineralogy, provenance, and diagenesis of a potassic basaltic sandstone on Mars: CheMin X-ray diffraction of the Windjana sample (Kimberley Area, Gale Crater): Journal of Geophysical Research—Planets, v. 121, p. 75–106, doi:10.1002/2015JE004932.

Lundstrom, C. C., and Glazner, A. F., 2016, Silicic magmatism and the volcanic-plutonic connection: Elements, v. 12, p. 91-96, DOI: 10.2113/gselements.12.2.91

Glazner, A. F., Coleman, D. S., and Mills, R. D., 2015, The volcanic-plutonic connection: in Breitkreuz, C., and Rocchi, S., eds., Physical Geology of Shallow Magmatic Systems: Dykes, Sills and Laccoliths, Advances in Volcanology, Springer, DOI: 10.1007/11157_2015_11.

Putnam, R., Glazner, A.F., Coleman, D.S., Kylander-Clark, A.R.C., Pavelsky, T., and Abbot, M.I., 2015, Plutonism in three dimensions: Field and geochemical relations on the southeast face of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California: Geosphere, v. 11, no. 4, p. 1–25, doi:10.1130/GES01133.1.

Glazner, A. F., 2014, Magmatic life at low Reynolds number: Geology, v. 42, p. 935-938, doi:10.1130/G36078.1.

Farmer, G. L., Glazner, A. F., Kortemeier, W. T., Cosca, M. A., Jones, C. H., Moore, J. E., and Schweickert, R. A., 2013, Mantle lithosphere as a source of postsubduction magmatism, northern Sierra Nevada, California: Geosphere, v. 9, p. 1102-1124.

Cordes, S. E., Stock, G. M., Schwab, B. E., and Glazner, A. F., 2013, Supporting evidence for a 9.6 ± 1 ka rock avalanche originating from Glacier Point in Yosemite Valley, California: Environmental & Engineering Geoscience, v. 19, p. 345-361. (AEG Best Paper Award for 2014)

Glazner, A. F., and Johnson, B. R., 2013, Late crystallization of K-feldspar and the paradox of megacrystic granites: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, v. 166, p. 777-799.

Mills, R. D., and Glazner, A. F., 2013, Experimental study on the effects of temperature cycling on coarsening of plagioclase and olivine in an alkali basalt: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, v. 166, p. 97-111.

Coleman, D. S., Bartley, J. M., Glazner, A. F., and Pardue, M. J., 2012, Is chemical zonation in plutonic rocks driven by changes in source magma composition, or shallow crustal differentiation?: Geosphere, v. 8, p. 1568-1587.

Glazner, A. F., and Mills, R. D., 2012, Statistics of two-dimensional cuts through objects with a fractal size distribution: application to xenoliths, breccias, and enclaves: Geosphere, v. 8, p. 902-914, doi:10.1130/GES00731.1.

Bartley, J. M., Glazner, A. F., and Mahan, K. H., 2012, Formation of pluton roofs, floors, and walls by crack opening at Split Mountain, Sierra Nevada, California: Geosphere, v. 8, p. 1-18, 1 plate, 1 kmz file.

Mills, R. D., Ratner, J. J., and Glazner, A. F., 2011, Experimental evidence for crystal coarsening and fabric development during temperature cycling: Geology, v. 39, p. 1139-1142, doi:10.1130/G32394.1.

Johnson, B. R., and Glazner, A. F., 2010, Formation of K-feldspar megacrysts in granodioritic plutons by thermal cycling and late-stage textural coarsening: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, v. 159, p. 599-619, DOI 10.1007/s00410-009-0444-z.