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Friday's spectacular volcanic eruption in Japan, in one GIF

Libby Nelson is Vox's policy editor, leading coverage of how government action and inaction shape American life. Libby has more than a decade of policy journalism experience, including at Inside Higher Ed and Politico. She joined Vox in 2014.

Japan's Sakurajima volcano, after months of calm, exploded at 7 pm Japan time Friday, creating a spectacular eruption against the night sky. No injuries have been reported. Here's the eruption, slightly sped up, in GIF form:

(Associated Press)

Japan's meteorological agency issued a level 3 warning, telling people to stay away from the volcano. A nuclear plant about 30 miles away is unaffected.

Volcanic eruptions aren't unusual in Japan, which has more than 100 active volcanoes. And Sakurajima regularly belches ash, fire, and smoke in small eruptions. But since September, its last major eruption, the volcano had been unusually quiet, according to the Associated Press.

The full video shows the scope of the dramatic eruption:

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