(BIVN) – During Tuesday’s public meeting on the eruption of Kilauea Volcano, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory deputy scientist-in-charge Steve Brantley updated the crowd on the activity on the lower East Rift Zone and at the summit.

Although most in attendance are being directly affected by the lava flows coming from fissures in Leilani Estates, Brantley also spent some time talking about the dramatic changes being observed at the vent at Halema’uma’u at the summit. The activity could be related, Brantley said.

As of 10:28 p.m. last night, USGS reported:

Persistent lava fountaining at Fissure 8 is reaching heights of 150-180 feet. This eruptive activity continues to feed a channel transporting lava to the east to the ocean entry in the Kapoho Bay area. Minor breakouts along the channelized flow have been very small and stagnated before travelling any significant distance. HVO’s late afternoon overflight showed that the Fissure 8 flow is continuing to form a lava delta with limited continuing advances into the surviving parts of the Kaphoho Beach Lots and Vacationlands neighborhoods. The northernmost lobe of the Fissure 8 flow is advancing very slowly to the northeast. No other fissure vents are active.