This article examines the geological and geomorphological context and the chronostratigraphic correlation of Paleolithic sites within the Krasnoyarsk Basin. The study is based on current understanding of the Late Quaternary history of the extraglacial zone of the Yenisei River. It has been established that the Yenisei River valley within the basin was impacted by two megafloods during the Late Pleistocene. These floods resulted from the breach of the ice-dammed lake in the Darkhad Basin in the upper reaches of the Yenisei River: the Chanin flood (approximately 80-70 ka BP) and the Divnin flood (approximately 25-20 ka BP). Following the latter flood, the alluvial deposits of the First Above-Floodplain Terrace (I NPT) began to form, represented by a set of characteristic facies, which constitutes the only transit terrace in the valley. The Krasnoyarsk Basin contains the highest concentration of Paleolithic complexes in the Yenisei River basin. The identified geomorphological and stratigraphic features of the Paleolithic sites, supported by previous chronometric data and new radiocarbon (14C) dating, indicate that these megafloods were a limiting factor for the location of Paleolithic campsites. Paleolithic complexes dating to the early stage of the Upper Paleolithic are associated with the Kurtak pedocomplex, which is widespread on watersheds, slopes, and the sides of log (ravines) significantly removed from the main channel of the Yenisei River. Consequently, the cultural layers of these sites remained outside the inundation zone of the last megaflood. A number of sites from this period, located in areas of potential erosional scouring, were preserved due to their position in erosional shadows and their high hypsometric elevation. During the first half of the late stage of the Upper Paleolithic (19–18 cal ka BP), the prehistoric population inhabiting the basin preferred to settle on slopes and watersheds near temporary watercourses (log/ravines) and at significant distances (up to 8 km) from the Yenisei River valley. From 18 cal ka BP onwards, Late Paleolithic populations began to prefer the shoreline and the contemporaneously forming alluvial terrace deposits of the Yenisei River and its tributaries, as well as the gentle slopes descending to the terrace, located at elevations of up to 35 m. Sites from this period are primarily associated with alluvial and subaerial deposits of the terrace, at heights ranging from 8 to 35 meters.

The article is devoted to the problem of chronostratigraphic correlation of geological and cultural deposits in loess-like loams at Kostenki-Borshchevo Paleolithic area. The history of Gmelin paleosoil identification, its main characteristics and possible analogues in the region are considered. In the archaeological periodization, the Gmelin soil was often used as an important marker, which was associated with the finds of Gravettian settlements and, in particular, the Kostenki-Avdeevo archaeological culture. Based on the analysis of recent radiocarbon dating data and ideas about the development of cultural traditions in the Kostenki Paleolithic, it is concluded that Gmelin soil cannot be considered a reliable chronostratigraphic marker until special paleopedological studies of various paleosols in the cover loams.