Applicability of Planktonic and Nektic Fossils to Palaeogeographic Reconstructions

At a workshop during the Dresden conference the usefulness and applicability of various fossil groups to the assessment of ancient palaeogeographies were clarified. Planktonic groups, such as acritarchs, chitinozoans and graptolites, were found to be indicative of palaeolatitude in many situations, but not necessarily of individual palaeocontinents. In contrast, benthic faunas, particularly from the old cratons, have proved more distinctive in many cases.