Minor volcanic eruption observed on Mt. Aso in southwestern Japan

A small eruption was observed Friday on Mt. Aso in southwestern Japan, spewing smoke as high as 1,600 meters, the weather agency said.The eruption occurred at 7:57 a.m. at the No. 1 crater of Mt. Aso's Nakadake, which is 1,506 meters above sea level, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. There were no immediate reports of injuries.It was the latest in a series of small-scale eruptions at the volcano in Kumamoto Prefecture since April. No volcanic cinders were detected but the agency warned of volcanic gas.The agency raised Mt. Aso's volcanic alert level to 2 on a scale of 1 to 5 in …READ FULL ARTICLE