The Putorana plateau was formed after the eruption of a supervolcano 250 million years ago, which caused the Great Permian Extinction. The frozen lava formed basalt rocks, which are often called Siberian traps (mountains without peaks). It is the world's second largest trap plateau after the Deccan Plateau in India.
Alexander Middendorf is considered to be the discoverer of this place. In 1845, during an expedition to the Taimyr Peninsula, he discovered the spurs of the plateau, and also marked the boundaries of permafrost. The toponym "Putorana" was already mapped by the Soviet Arctic explorer Nikolai Urvantsev during his expedition in 1921, having heard this term from a local resident, an Evenk by nationality, so it first appeared on the map of Russia under its current name
The plateau belongs to the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and is comparable in area to the territory of Great Britain. It is spread over 250 thousand square kilometers. This place is called the land of thousands of lakes and waterfalls. No one knows exactly how many waterfalls there are on the plateau, since snow lies here most of the year. Many waterfalls are formed for only a couple of months in the summer - July and August. Due to the harsh climatic conditions, scientists do not have time to explore the area and calculate the exact amount. The largest waterfall in Eurasia, Talnikovy, is also located here. However, it can only be reached by helicopter in good weather. There are about 25 thousand lakes on the Putorana Plateau. Together, they form the second largest surface freshwater reservoir in Russia after Lake Baikal.
Due to the harsh climatic conditions, as well as the inaccessibility of the place, tourism is very poorly organized here. The Putorana plateau is regularly included in the list of the most inaccessible places in Russia.