Fun Fact: Did You Know That There is a Massive Man-Made Mountain Pass in Washington County?

Question: Did you know that there is a massive man-made mountain pass in Washington County?

Sideling Hill view from pedestrian bridge. Courtesy of Wikipedia
Sideling Hill view from pedestrian bridge. Courtesy of Wikipedia

It’s true! The Sideling Hill Road Cut on Interstate 68 and US 40 is a 340-foot (100 m) deep notch excavated from the ridge of Sideling Hill, about 7 miles (11 km) west of Hancock in Washington County, Maryland. It is notable as an impressive man-made mountain pass, visible from miles away, and is considered to be one of the best rock exposures in Maryland and the entire northeastern United States. Almost 810 feet (250 m) of strata in a tightly folded syncline are exposed in this road cut. Although other exposures may surpass Sideling Hill in either thickness of exposed strata or in quality of geologic structure, few can equal its combination of both. The exposed rocks consist of the Devonian-Mississippian Rockwell Formation, underlying the Mississippian Purslane Sandstone.

Visible notch cut out from Sideline Hill. Courtesy of Wikipedia
Visible notch cut out from Sideling Hill. Courtesy of Wikipedia

washingtonSource: Wikipedia

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