Devils Backbone (also Devil's Backbone) is a ridge and

rock outcrop An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. Features Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficia ...

located in Highland County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The ridge is located approximately north-northeast of

Monterey, Virginia Monterey is a town in Highland County, Virginia, United States. The population was 147 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Highland County. History The selection of Monterey as the county seat of Highland County in 1847 was associated ...

near the village of Blue Grass. Along the crest of the ridge line is a near vertical outcrop of

Tuscarora Sandstone The Silurian Tuscarora Formation — also known as Tuscarora Sandstone or Tuscarora Quartzite — is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, USA. Description The Tuscarora is a thin- to thick-bedded fine-gr ...

approximately thick. This formation gives the ridge its name of Devils Backbone, as the outcrop has been described "like the vertebrae of some monstrous prehistoric animal". The formation has also been described as resembling that of "the comb on the head of a domestic

fowl Fowl are birds belonging to one of two biological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl (Galliformes) and the waterfowl (Anseriformes). Anatomical and molecular similarities suggest these two groups are close evolutionary relatives; together ...

References

Geography of Highland County, Virginia {{HighlandCountyVA-geo-stub