[Namibia 2017] Dead Acacia Trees of Deadvlei, Namibia #2

Near Sossusvlei, Deadvlei is perhaps even more devoid of life. Deadvlei was once nourished by the Tsauchab River, which drained into the area and supported life. At some point in its distant history, perhaps one thousand years ago, Deadvlei was actually underwater. The Tsauchab flooded the area, creating shallow pools with a clay pan underneath. In that lush, river-fed environment, plant life, even trees, proliferated. Acacia trees flourished, their sweet fragrance perfuming the air.

But perhaps nine hundred years ago, the climate changed. The area that bloomed with life for two hundred years became dry and drought-stricken, and the massive dunes cut the region off from the river. The acacia trees that were once covered in flowers died and were blackened by the sun. But in the dry climate they did not decay; now nearly a thousand years old, the acacia trees remain. They are scorched black from centuries of sunlight and stand like blackened monuments to the passage of time.

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