How recently might isolated volcanic episodes have extended after the main resurfacing ended?
Answer
As recently as 1 billion years ago
Although the major phase of lava flooding that formed the expansive maria ended roughly three billion years ago, subsequent analysis of rock samples and orbital data confirmed that volcanic activity did not stop everywhere at once. Evidence points toward the existence of isolated volcanic episodes that continued long after the main event subsided. These residual pockets of heat were capable of driving magma to the surface in localized areas, with the latest estimated flows potentially continuing up until approximately one billion years ago, representing a period of residual activity lasting roughly two billion years after the primary resurfacing had concluded.
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