April 23, 1985

EARLY yesterday, right on schedule, lava began spurting from a young volcanic cone known as Pu'u O on the east rift zone of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano. The 14-hour eruption, which sent fountains of fiery lava 1,000 feet into the air, was the 32d from that site since a series of periodic eruptions began there in January 1983. Probably no volcano on earth erupts so often, and probably no other is being subjected to such intense and varied observation. Among other findings the monitoring has revealed that, with surprising uniformity, it gradually swells before each of its successive eruptions, then deflates with amazing abruptness as lava pours forth from the Pu'u O outlet. Thus Kilauea has become a laboratory for seeking clues to the behavior of volcanoes worldwide. In particular it is the focal point of efforts to understand the volcanic process that has built the Hawaiian Islands, one by one, and is forming a new submarine member of the chain, Loihi Seamount, to the southeast.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1985 International No compromise on Nicaragua was reached in a day of talks between leading Senators and White House officials on terms for providing $14 million in nonmilitary aid to the antiSandinista rebels. About a dozen legislators from both parties conferred for more than eight hours at the White House. (Page A1, Column 6.) Support for Nicaragauan rebels is wide enough to insure that their campaign is likely to continue whether or not Congress votes to aid them, according to Nicaraguan refugees, rebels and Western diplomats in the region. Visits to guerrilla bases and Nicaraguan refugee camps in the last month indicate that the rebels are growing in numbers and that they pose a significant threat to the Government despite serious political and logistical problems. (A1:4-5.)

The Coca-Cola Company is expected to announce today a reformulation of Coca-Cola, the world's best- selling soft drink. The Atlanta-based beverage and entertainment company has refused to comment, and bottlers, who are sequestered today in Atlanta, have learned only that they would receive a different concentrate. But, industry experts yesterday were convinced that the announcement involved a reformulation of Coke's top-secret formula. Coca-Cola is a mixture of water, sugar, caramel, phosphoric acid, vanilla, caffeine, extracts from coca leaves and cola nuts, and a substance called 7X.

The Sky Watch map on Sunday was inadvertently reprinted from a previous week, although the caption was up to date. A corrected version for this week appears today on page D27.

Pan American World Airways, which pioneered routes across the Pacific and grew into the most extensive global carrier, has agreed to sell its Pacific operations to United Airlines, the companies announced yesterday. United, the nation's largest airline, would pay $750 million to Pan Am, which needs cash to modernize its fleet of planes. The transaction is subject to approval by the Department of Transportation, President Reagan and the other governments involved. In a statement, both companies sought to assure ''the traveling public that all their service options and benefits will be preserved during the transition period.'' United would keep flying every route, assuming it gets the approval of each government.