The final puzzle piece to the beautiful scenery in Sedona would be the creation of the Oak Creek canyon which cuts through the aforementioned rock layers and provides the almost unobstructed view of the cross-section of these towering formations. The canyon itself has a varying width of 0.8-2.5 miles across, a depth that ranges form 800-2,000 feet, and covers a 14 mile stretch. There could have once been a similar Oak Creek Canyon to the one we see today almost 10 million years ago; however, the basalt lava flows of volcanoes such as the House Mountain Shield Volcano resulted in the Canyon being filled. The canyon we see today is the result of returning activity to the Oak Creek Fault and the erosion of the top layers of sediment by wind and rain which shaped beautiful spires and walls of Sedona. This erosion occurred after the uplifting of the Colorado Plateau some 3 million years ago. (Arizona Ruins; Wright; City of Sedona Official Website).
The Oak Creek Canyon
(Left) The Oak Creek Canyon stretches from Sedona to Flagstaff