Petrified Forest of Khorixas in Khorixas, Nambia

Around 280 million years ago, a huge river flowed through Gwondana. It carried tree trunks from the north in an enormous flood after an ice age. The trees were covered under thick mud and became petrified over time 

Today, Damaraland is an arid semi-desert, and erosion has revealed petrified tree trunks. The two huge trees are ancient Cordaites, the ancestor of modern firs and spruces.

Petrification is a chemical process that occurs under high pressure. Water and mud prevent the rotting of the wood. Silicic acid dissolves the wood slowly and replaces it with quartz and pyrite crystals. The result is perfectly conserved and completely petrified tree trunks.

The petrified forest is in a semi-desert with interesting flora, fauna, and other living fossils. Welwitschia Mirabilis plants are abundant.