The research progress on palaeogeography: Theoretical breakthroughs, technological innovations, and interdisciplinary integration trends

• Published in: Geographical Research Bulletin Vol. 4; pp. 410 - 413
• Main Authors: Li, Yancun, Jiang, Weimin, Zhang, Chongren
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Resources Economics Research Board 20.06.2025
• Subjects: Earth system models; palaeogeographic reconstruction; paleoclimate change; plate tectonics; sedimentary environment evolution
• ISSN: 2758-1446
• DOI: 10.50908/grb.4.0_410

As a core discipline for revealing Earth’s history’s evolutionary processes and driving mechanisms, palaeogeography holds an irreplaceable position in understanding global climate change, biodiversity turnover, and the coupled evolution of Earth’s multiple spheres. In recent years, palaeogeographic research has shown a trend toward interdisciplinary integration and methodological convergence, driving a rapid transition from traditional qualitative mapping to high-precision, dynamic, and quantitative simulations. This paper systematically reviews six major frontier research directions in palaeogeography: (1) innovative breakthroughs in high-resolution palaeogeographic reconstruction techniques; (2) studies on the coupling mechanisms between plate tectonics and sedimentary environment evolution; (3) deep mechanisms of palaeogeographic patterns influencing paleoclimate changes and biotic evolution; (4) quantitative coupling simulation of resource accumulation processes and palaeogeographic evolution; and (5) feedback relationships between the carbon cycle and palaeogeographic patterns on deep-time scales. These advances demonstrate the deepening of palaeogeographic theoretical frameworks and innovation in technical approaches, but also mark the entry of the field into a new stage of integrated development driven by big data, artificial intelligence, and Earth system models. This paper aims to provide a systematic theoretical framework and forward-looking research directions for the continued advancement of palaeogeography.