If you’re passing CERN’s Entrance A during the hours of darkness over the next few days, you might notice a flare as engineers burn off an underground pocket of gas.

During the drilling of the first geothermal borehole for Science Gateway next to CERN’s Entrance A, gas has been detected at a depth of 200 metres. This is a relatively common occurrence at construction sites in the Geneva region, and the gas has to be burned off before work can continue. Drilling has been suspended and a flair installed by the contractor. It could take several days for all the gas to be consumed.