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And when this rock was quarried, it also revealed traces of real monsters, the bones of huge dinosaurs. 117 million years ago, Oxford was a real-life Jurassic Park.
Dinosaur fossils have been found throughout Europe. In La Rioja in Spain, the traces they've left are not only the bones. Hundreds of dinosaur tracks have been discovered in this mountainous region, some revealing an ancient struggle between predator and prey, a deadly drama from the Age of the Dinosaurs frozen forever in a layer of rock.
As reptiles conquered the skies above ancient Europe, dramatic changes were affecting the western shores. Pangea continued to disintegrate, Europe was tearing itself away from what is now North America. This separation gave birth to one of the world's great oceans, the Atlantic.
As this ocean grew, pterosaurs were not the only creatures exploring the air. And the most famous evidence for that is found here, in Solnhofen in Bavaria. This tiny community is famous for the unique qualities of the local rock. The limestone quarried here is extremely fine-grained and can be worked into thin and very light slabs.
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words and expressions
quarry: (v.) To obtain (stone) from a quarry, as by cutting, digging, or blasting. 采石
grain : (v.) To cause to form into grains; granulate 使...成为粒状
slab: (n.) A broad, flat, thick piece, as of cake, stone, or cheese.
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