Volcano makes Hawaii's Big Island bigger

HILO, Hawaii, June 20 (UPI) -- Earthquakes within Hawaii's Mount Kilauea have slowed but underground lava movement was making the Big Island slightly bigger, reports said.

A brief eruption of lava on Tuesday along the island's southeast coastline moved land an inch or so farther seaward as a result, the Honolulu Advertiser reported.

A series of earthquakes last weekend alerted scientists of underground lava movement and an 825-foot fissure opened about 8 miles from the summit, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin said.

Steve Brantley, deputy scientist-in-charge at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said observations made from helicopters showed "the whole crater floor itself is sort of collapsing inward.

"It must be due to the lack of support from the magma," he said, adding the floor of the crater dropped about 65 feet.

Portions of Hawaii Volcano National Park were closed and park crews repaired cracks caused by the hundreds of small earthquakes -- one 3 inches wide -- on the Chain of Craters Road, the newspaper said.