stench a strong and very unpleasant smell

Unbearable not able to be endured or tolerated

hulking very large, heavy, or clumsy
mass a large body of matter with no definite shape
lain be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface
sandbar a long, narrow sandbank, especially at the mouth of a river
stifling very hot and causing difficulties in breathing; suffocating, "stifling heat

fetid smelling extremely unpleasant.

decaying rotting or decomposing through the action of bacteria and fungi.
sediment matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; dreg
scavengers an animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse
putrid (of organic matter) decaying or rotting and emitting a fetid smell.
flesh the soft substance consisting of muscle and fat that is found between the skin and bones of a human or
an animal
Debris scattered (spread out) spiecesof rubbish or remains
carcass the dead body of an animal.
muck dirt, rubbish, or waste matter
consuming adj. 1. (of a feeling) completely filling one's mind and attention; absorbing
2. eat, drink, or ingest (food or drink) 3. (of a fire) completely destroy.
preservation the action of preserving (saving) something
fast-forward 1. move speedily forward in time 2. a control on a tape or video recorder for winding the tape
forward rapidly
quarry a place, typically a large, deep pit, from which stone or other materials are or have been extracted
strewn untidily scattered.
Jurassic a geologic period and system that
spanned 56 million years from the end of the
Triassic Period 201.3 million years ago
tangle twist together into a confused mass
Fossil the remains or impression of a prehistoric plant
or animal embedded in rock and preserved in petrified form.
remnants a part or quantity that is left after the greater
part has been used, removed, or destroyed
proud “slightly projecting from a surface
proud of the sandstone . . .”
sauropod - huge plant-eating dinos that
had a long neck and a long tail

Palaeontology a geologic period and system that

spanned 56 million years from the end of the Triassic Period
201.3 million years ago
scrambles move hurriedly or clumsily
from or into a particular place or position.
corralled gather together and confine (a group of people or things)
torrent a strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid
MISSION JURASSIC
THE BADLANDS
Phil scrambles to his right to put his hand on a long stretch of
brown-coloured rock. It's the fallen tree trunk that probably
corralled the rotting beast and finally pulled it from the torrent,
along with who knows how many other creatures now frozen
in stone in this quarry.

Phil sits back on his heels. He's like the detective who's just
walked in on a murder scene, assessed the available evidence
and constructed an initial take on the final moments of horror.

"Just imagine: a fetid mess of deadness. Wonderful!" he grins.

"It's rare that you get to see so many bones strewn in front of
you like this. There are so many on this site it's like 'pick-up
sticks'," the British scientist continues.

"There's probably enough dinosaur material here to keep a

thousand palaeontologists happy for a thousand years."
The stench was unbearable. The hulking mass of dead dinosaur had
lain on the sandbar now for over a week in stifling heat, half-buried
among the decaying vegetation and sediment.
Some scavengers had tried to rip the putrid flesh from its bones, but the
floodwaters kept washing over the site, dumping yet more mud and
debris.
The open carcass of this 40-ton giant was filling with all kinds of muck
and beginning to disappear from view. The Earth itself was consuming
the animal for geologic preservation.

Fast-forward 150 million years and the University of Manchester’s Phil

Manning, is on his knees in a tennis court-sized quarry in the
"Badlands" of North Wyoming. He's narrating this Jurassic death story
as he points to the tangle of fossil bones in front of us.

Remnants of leg, shoulder and spine have been worked proud of the
sandstone. There's no doubting even to our untrained eyes that this is a
sauropod - one of those huge plant-eating dinos that had a long neck
and a long tail.
Phil doesn't have quite that long. The Children's Museum of
Indianapolis (TCMI), where he's also a scientist in residence,
has signed a 20-year exploration lease on a parcel of Wyoming
ranch land measuring one sq mile (260 hectares) in area.

Phil therefore has just two decades, the remainder of his

career, to see what treasures can be unearthed. And he needs
every bit of help he can get.

That's why, in addition to TCMI staff, he's called in Dutch

colleagues from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, and
UK associates from the University of Manchester, and London's
Natural History Museum (NHM).

From the UK's perspective, "Mission Jurassic", as it's been

dubbed, represents arguably the country's biggest dinosaur
hunt in decades.
Phil and his co-chief scientist, Victoria Egerton, have organised
the partners into work teams to systematically scrape back the
layers of two pilot quarries. The participants are down on all
fours, edging forwards in CSI formation, gently probing the
pliable sediments with bayonets.