Deadvlei ("dead marsh") is a white clay pan inside the Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia. It's surrounded by the highest sand dunes in the world, the highest reaching 900-1,200 ft. It was formed after rainfall, when the Tsauchab river flooded, creating pools where the abundance of water allowed trees to grow. When the climate changed, drought hit the area, and dunes encroached on the pan, blocking the river from the area. The trees died, no longer having enough water to survive. The remaining 900-year old skeletons of the trees are now black because the intense sun has scorched them.
