Remarks on the palynology-based chronostratigraphical subdivision of Pliocene terrestrial deposits in NW-Europe

A critical review of existing data has been carried out considering lithostratigraphical data, provenance studies and palaeogeography in comparison especially with the interpretation of palynological results. As a result, it is concluded that the existing subdivision of the Pliocene into stages and substages defined by pollen assemblages has not been executed correctly. As a consequence, the application of this subdivision in geological reconstructions and modelling reveals many problems and pitfalls.