Central Siberian Plateau

A vast upland region of north-central Siberia between the Yenisei and Lena rivers, underlain largely by ancient volcanic rocks and cut by deep river valleys.

Yenisei River: A major Siberian river flowing north into the Kara Sea. The river forms the plateau’s western boundary.
Flood basalt: A thick accumulation of basaltic lava erupted over a broad area, often in repeated flows. The plateau’s volcanic foundation consists largely of stacked basalt flows.
Norilsk: A Russian industrial city north of the Arctic Circle, built around major nickel and copper deposits. It is a major mining center on the plateau’s northwestern margin.
West Siberian Plain: A vast lowland between the Ural Mountains and the Yenisei River. It lies west of the Yenisei, contrasting with the plateau’s higher relief.
Lena River: A major Siberian river flowing north into the Laptev Sea. The river marks the plateau’s eastern boundary.
Mantle plume: A rising column of unusually hot mantle rock that can generate extensive volcanism beneath a tectonic plate. A mantle plume is one proposed driver of Siberian Traps volcanism.
Norilsk–Talnakh ore field: A world-class deposit of nickel, copper, and platinum-group metals in northern Siberia. Its mineral wealth is associated with Siberian Traps magmatism.
East Siberian Upland: A broad upland region of eastern Siberia extending east of the Lena River. It continues Siberia’s upland terrain beyond the plateau’s eastern boundary.
Siberian Traps: A vast province of flood basalts produced by exceptionally extensive eruptions around 252 million years ago. These volcanic rocks underlie much of the plateau.
Permian–Triassic extinction event: The largest known mass extinction, occurring about 252 million years ago at the Permian–Triassic boundary. Siberian Traps eruptions coincided with this global biological crisis.

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