Devils Backbone (also Devil's Backbone) is a
ridge
A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
and
rock outcrop located in
Highland County,
Virginia,
United States. The ridge is located approximately north-northeast of
Monterey, Virginia 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".
References
Geography of Highland County, Virginia
{{HighlandCountyVA-geo-stub