The lava flow from Puu Oo continued to creep toward the ocean Saturday, while the Kilauea volcano summit caldera gurgled like a witch’s cauldron.

The so-called 61G flow extending southeast of Puu Oo was about half a mile from the ocean, but posed no threat to surrounding communities, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

At Halemaumau Crater, the lava lake continued to circulate and occasionally spatter, the observatory said on its website Saturday. The lava surface, which fluctuates in height, was 70 feet below the crater rim on Friday.

The vent that opened in May on the eastern flank of Puu Oo sent lava down the south flank of Kilauea and across the coastal plain for the first time since 2013, observatory scientists said Thursday in their weekly “Volcano Watch” report.

“At Kilauea’s summit, the sloshing, splashing lava lake within the Halemaumau Crater vent has been high enough at times that spatter (bits of molten lava) is occasionally visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,” the report said. “At night, spectacular views of reddish glow against the dark sky and Milky Way have enthralled visitors.”

The flow has been informally named 61G because it is the seventh flow (indicated by the letter G) in the 61st episode of the ongoing Kilauea East Rift Zone eruption, which began in 1983. The flow now extends about 6 miles from the vent, and is moving to the southeast along the eastern border of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Closer to Puu Oo, lava is moving downslope beneath a newly solidified lava surface through a system of lava tubes.

Volcano scientists recommend that visitors hoping to view the flow consult access and safety information before attempting the long hike. Lava-viewing information is available from both the National Park (808ne.ws/2a6VhX6) and Hawaii County (808ne.ws/2a6VNnY).

If the lava reaches the ocean, they cautioned, it will create a new set of hazards, from steam explosions to collapsing lava deltas.

On Friday, meanwhile, a magnitude 4.3 earthquake rattled Hawaii island at 9:16 p.m. but was unrelated to the eruption. The epicenter was 1.9 miles west-southwest of Honalo, a bit north of Kealakekua Bay, at a depth of 7 miles.

It was the fourth small quake on or around the island in a day.