A paleogeographic reconstruction is a representation of what the Earth’s geography was like in the geological past.
It seeks to reconstruct the positions of continents and oceans; mountain ranges; sedimentary basins; volcanoes; ancient rivers and seas; and the distribution of climates and environments at different points in geological time.
paleo = ancient
geography = the physical layout of the Earth’s surface
Therefore, paleogeography means:
“the ancient geography of the Earth.”
Paleogeographic reconstructions help us understand: