Putorana Plateau

The Putorana Plateau is a massive mountainous area located in Russia. It is a large massif, which is a large and compact group of mountains. This plateau sits at the northwestern edge of the Central Siberian Plateau. It is positioned east of the Yenisei River valley. To the south, it lies north of the Syverma and Tunguska plateaus. The North Siberian Lowland is located to its north. The Anabar Plateau sits to its southwest. The plateau is a significant part of the Siberian landscape.

Many different mountain ranges cross through this high-lying plateau. These subranges give the landscape its complex shape. Some of the named ranges include the Keta Range and the Lama Range. Other important ranges are Lontokoisky Kamen and the Kharayelakh Range. The Chaya-Ayan and Brus Kamen ranges also cross the area. The highest point in this entire system is Mount Kamen. This peak is also the highest point of the Central Siberian Plateau. It stands high above sea level.

The geology of the Putorana Plateau is defined by its rock types. The area is mainly composed of basalt. This is an igneous rock that formed from cooled lava. This basalt comes from the Siberian Traps. The plateau is very rich in natural resources. It contains some of the largest known nickel deposits in the world. Other minerals include iron ores called magnetite and hematite. It also contains silicates like prehnite and zeolite. Other minerals found here are apatites and perovskites. The region also holds copper, nickel, coal, and abundant water.

Water is a defining feature of this massive landscape. There are more than 25,000 lakes spread across the plateau. These lakes are very deep. Because of their depth and number, they hold a massive amount of water. They form the second-largest store of fresh water in Russia by capacity. Only Lake Baikal holds more fresh water than these lakes combined. Large lakes like Lake Dyupkun and Lake Lama form entire ecosystems. These ecosystems spread over many tens of kilometers. The Talnikovy Waterfall is also located here. It is reputed to be one of the highest waterfalls in Asia.

The climate in this region is very harsh. The plateau is located above the Arctic Circle. This means it has a subarctic, sharply continental climate. Winters are long and severely cold. Summers are short and cool. In the higher elevations, the climate transitions into a tundra climate. Spring, summer, and autumn occur in June, July, and August. The remaining months are winter. In July, the warmest month, the average air temperature is around 10°C. Temperatures may reach a maximum of 20°C. Precipitation stays between 400 and 1,000 mm per year. Most of this falls as rain during the summer.

Despite the cold, some areas feel slightly different. Certain lake valleys have a milder microclimate. For example, Lake Lama is somewhat protected. The neighboring mountain ranges block the cold winds from the north. This protection allows for slightly different conditions in the valley. The snow cover in the winter is relatively sparse. This is a unique feature of the local weather patterns. These variations show how the mountains shape the environment.

Conservation is a major focus for this unique region. The Putorana Nature Reserve was established in 1988. It is a protected area known as a zapovednik. The reserve covers 380,000 hectares. It also includes a buffer zone of 240,000 hectares. The reserve is managed from the nearby city of Norilsk. It was created to protect the world's largest herd of wild reindeer. It also protects snow sheep. In July 2010, UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site. This honors its complete set of subarctic and arctic ecosystems. These include pristine taiga, forest-tundra, tundra, and arctic desert systems. It also protects untouched cold-water lake and river systems.