Volcano predicted to keep up show of force

PAHOA, Hawaii - A large explosion in Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Wednesday may mark the beginning of more violent, explosive eruptions that could spray rocks for kilometers and dust nearby towns in volcanic ash and smog, the US Geological Survey said.

The USGS warned that more violent eruptions at the crater could begin in mid-May, shooting rocks weighing several tons for over half a kilometer, hurling pebble-sized projectiles several kilometers and dusting areas up 32 km away with ash.

"This is the first of perhaps more events like that to come," Tina Neal, the scientist in charge of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said of Wednesday's blast which shot projectiles from the crater.