Kilauea rumbles with 260 quakes
The event's duration has scientists unsure what will be left when the shaking stops
By Laurie Aulau

In what geologists call a rare occurrence, a swarm of more than 260 small earthquakes rattled the Upper East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano beginning at 2:15 a.m. yesterday, shaking nearby residents throughout the day.

Geologists said a buildup of magma below ground is creating the quakes, reducing the lava flow at the Pu'u O'o vent, but the long-term significance, if any, remained unclear. One possibility was the formation of new eruption vents at the volcano, which has been spewing lava continuously since 1983.

Rangers closed down most of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park yesterday and evacuated 11 campers as a precaution. The earthquakes were small, with the biggest measuring at 4.0, not enough to trigger a tsunami. the rest