kilauea volcano

Volcanic rocks 2 feet in diameter have been found in a parking lot a few hundred yards from the volcano's Halemaumau crater, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The volcano, which began a period of increased activity earlier this month, is sending ash plumes drifting downwind in what could be a potential threat to aircraft in the area.

The U.S. Geological Survey says that as magma in the volcano drops below the water table, it could create steam pressure and a sudden eruption that would spew toxic gas and "ballistic rocks."

Scientists are closely tracking the eruption at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano. But there's still a lot that they don't know about the eruption — most notably, when it's going to be over.

More than 1,700 people have evacuated from a neighborhood on Hawaii's Big Island following a volcanic eruption last week. Ground fissures continue to spew lava and gas into residential neighborhoods.

The quake Thursday is one of 600 that have been shaking the area near the Big Island's Mount Kilauea since Monday. Geologists fear magma will break though the surface causing widespread destruction.

Researchers have captured dramatic footage of a tube of red-hot lava plummeting down a cliff into the ocean, sending fragments of lava and clouds of gray smoke into the sky.