(BIVN) – The intermittent eruption of lava in the Leilani Estates subdivision in the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano continues, scientists say.

Sunday was marked by the vigorous lava fountains erupting from “Fissure 8” on Luana Street and the lava flow that it created.

“Fissure 8 erupted lava fountains until about 4 p.m.,” the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported, “and the ‘a’ā flow advanced slowly northward through the afternoon, even after the lava fountains shut down.”

The geologists reported this early evening that the flow crossed Ho’okopu Road, a distance from fissure 8 of about about 0.6 miles.

USGS: This thermal map clearly shows the ‘a‘ā flow spreading northward (top) from fissure 8 during an overflight of the area this afternoon. The black and white area is the extent of the thermal map. Temperature in the thermal image is displayed as gray-scale values, with the brightest pixels indicating the hottest areas (whitish areas show the active lava flow). The gray linear features are the other fissures (numbered in red color) that have erupted thus far in the sequence. The thermal map was constructed by stitching many overlapping oblique thermal images collected by a handheld thermal camera during a helicopter overflight of the flow field. The base is a copyrighted color satellite image (used with permission) provided by Digital Globe.

Scientists also reported “new ground cracks in the vicinity of fissures 8 and 9 that were emitting thick steam and gases, but no lava spattering was observed by the time of this status report,” posted at 8:59 p.m.

USGS says rates of seismicity and deformation decreased in the past day. “The absence of additional deformation in the past day suggests a pause in magma acculumation in the distal part of the intrusion,” the scientists said.

Sunday evening, Hawai‘i County officials also announced they will opens an Eruption Information Center on Monday, May 7 in Pahoa. Here is the media release:

The County of Hawai’i and numerous service agency partners will open a community information center in Pahoa on Monday to address the questions and concerns of people affected by the eruption in Puna.

The center will be open at the Sacred Hearts Church hall from 9:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Besides providing information about the eruption, the center will offer social service information for the evacuees from the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions.

The following agencies will staff the Information Center:

County of Hawaii – Office of Aging
Neighborhood Place of Puna
Child and Family Services
The Food Basket
Bodacious Women
Catholic Charities
HOPE Services Hawai`i
Big Island Substance Abuse Council
County of Hawaii – OHCD, Existing Housing Division

We encourage the Puna community affected by the eruption to avail themselves of the Information Center. We are grateful to all of the agencies that have stepped up to offer help and comfort to our distressed neighbors