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Mining industry of South Africa
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Premier Diamond Mine, Cullinan, Gauteng, South Africa
An aerial view of the Two Rivers mine in Steelpoort, Limpopo, owned by both African Rainbow Minerals and Impala Platinum holdings limited.
Mining in South Africa was once the main driving force[1] behind the history and development of Africa's most advanced and richest economy.[2] Large-scale and profitable mining started with the discovery of a diamond on the banks of the Orange River in 1867 by Erasmus Jacobs and the subsequent discovery and exploitation of the Kimberley pipes a few years later. Gold rushes to Pilgrim's Rest and Barberton were precursors to the biggest discovery of all, the Main Reef/Main Reef Leader on Gerhardus Oosthuizen's farm Langlaagte, Portion C, in 1886, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the subsequent rapid development of the gold field there, the biggest of them all.
Diamond and gold production are now well down from their peaks, though South Africa is still number 5 in gold[3] but South Africa remains a cornucopia of mineral riches. It is the world's largest producer[4] of chrome, manganese, platinum, vanadium and vermiculite. It is the second largest producer[5] of ilmenite, palladium, rutile and zirconium. It is also the world's third largest coal exporter.[6] South Africa is also a huge producer of iron ore; in 2012, it overtook India to become the world's third-biggest iron ore supplier to China, who are the world's largest consumers of iron ore.[7]
Due to a history of corruption and maladministration in the South African mining sector, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe announced at the beginning of 2013 that mining companies misrepresenting their intentions could have their licences revoked.[8]
Contents
[hide]
1 History
1.1 Coal
1.2 Gold
1.3 Diamonds
1.4 Platinum and palladium
1.5 Chromium
1.6 Uranium
1.7 Working conditions
1.8 Rand Rebellion
1.9 2007 strike
1.10 2012 Lonmin strike
2 Politics
3 See also
4 References
History[edit]
See also: History of South Africa and Economy of South Africa
Diamond and gold discoveries played an important part in the growth of the early South African economy. A site northeast of Cape Town was discovered to have rich deposits of diamonds, and thousands rushed to the area of Kimberley in an attempt to profit from the discovery. The British later annexed the region of Griqualand West, an area which included the diamond fields. In 1868, the republic attempted to annex areas near newly discovered diamond fields, drawing protests from the nearby British colonial government. These annexations later led to the First Boer War of 1880-1881.[9]
Gold was discovered in the area known as Witwatersrand, triggering what would become the Witwatersrand Gold Rush of 1886. Like the diamond discoveries before, the gold rush caused thousands of foreign expatriates to flock to the region. This heightened political tensions in the area ultimately contributing to the Second Boer War in 1899.[citation needed] Ownership of the diamond and gold mines became concentrated in the hands of a few entrepreneurs, largely of European origin, known as the Randlords. South Africa's and the world's biggest diamond miner, De Beers, was funded by baron Nathaniel Mayer Rothschild in 1887, and Cecil Rhodes became the Founding Chairman of the board of directors in 1888. Cecil Rhodes' place was later taken by sir Ernest Oppenheimer, co-founder of the Anglo-American Corporation with J.P. Morgan.
The gold mining industry continued to grow throughout much of the early 20th century, significantly contributing to the tripling of the economic value of what was then known as the Union of South Africa. In particular, revenue from gold exports provided sufficient capital to purchase much-needed machinery and petroleum products to support an expanding manufacturing base.
As of 2007, the South African mining industry employs 493,000 workers. The industry represents 18% of South Africa's $588 billion USD Gross Domestic Product.[10][11]
Coal[edit]
South Africa Coal production (red) and exports (black)
Main article: Coal in South Africa § Mining
South Africa is the world's third largest coal exporter, and much of the country's coal is used for power production. (about 40%)[6] 77% of South Africa's energy needs are provided by coal.
Gold[edit]
South Africa mined gold production, 1940-2011
South Africa accounted for 15% of the world's gold production in 2002[12] and 12% in 2005, though the nation had produced as much as 30% of world output as recently as 1993. Despite declining production, South Africa's gold exports were valued at $3.8 billion USD in 2005.[13] The US Geological Survey estimated in that as of 2002, South Africa held about 50% of the world's gold resources, and 38% of reserves.[12]
Among the nation's gold mines are two of the deepest mines in the world. The East Rand Mine, in Boksburg, extends to a depth of 3,585 metres (11,762 ft). A 4-metre (13 ft) shallower mine is located at TauTona in Carletonville, though plans are in place to begin work on an extension to the TauTona mine, bringing the total depth to over 3,900 metres (12,800 ft) and breaking the current record by 127 feet (39 m).[14] At these depths the temperature of the rocks is 140 °F (60 °C).[15]
The gold in the Witwatersrand Basin area was deposited in ancient river deltas, having been washed down from surrounding gold-rich greenstone belts to the north and west. Rhenium-osmium isotope studies indicates that the gold in those mineral deposits came from unusual three billion year old mantle sourced intrusions known as komatiites present in the greenstone belts.[16] The Vredefort Dome impact which lies within the basin and the nearby Bushveld Igneous Complex are both about a billion years younger than the interpreted age of the gold.[16]
Diamonds[edit]
Ever since the Kimberley diamond strike of 1868, South Africa has been a world leader in diamond production.[citation needed] The primary South African sources of diamonds, including seven large diamond mines around the country, are controlled by the De Beers Consolidated Mines Company. In 2003, De Beers operations accounted for 94% of the nation's total diamond output of 11,900,000 carats (2.38 t) and the 6% diamond operations by JK Minerals Africa . This figure includes both gem stones and industrial diamonds.[17] Diamond production rose in 2005 to over 15,800,000 carats (3.16 t).[13]
Platinum and palladium[edit]
South Africa produces more platinum and similar metals than any other nation.[11] In 2005, 78% of the world's platinum was produced in South Africa, along with 39% of the world's palladium. Over 163,000 kilograms (5,200,000 ozt) of platinum was produced in 2010, generating export revenues of $3.82 billion USD.[13] Palladium is produced in two ways: recovery and mining production.[18] Currently Russia and South Africa are the biggest palladium producers in the world.[19]
Chromium[edit]
Chromium is another leading product of South Africa's mining industry. The metal, used in stainless steel and for a variety of industrial applications, is mined at 10 sites around the country. South Africa's production of chromium accounted for 100% of the world's total production in 2005, and consisted of 7,490,000 metric tons (7,370,000 long tons; 8,260,000 short tons) of material.[13]
Uranium[edit]
South Africa has the second-largest reserves of uranium in the world.[20] The Nuclear Fuels Corporation of South Africa (NUFCOR) started processing uranium as a by-product of gold mining[21] in 1967.[22] Most of the uranium produced as a by-product of gold mining is concentrated in the golf fields of the Witwatersrand area. Uranium is more easily and readily available than gold in South Africa.[23]
There are a number of mining companies that process uranium from mines that they own. Anglo Gold Ashanti,[24] Sibayane Gold Ltd,[25] Harmony Gold Mining Co.,[26] First Uranium, and Peninsula Energy own or control most of the uranium-from-gold mining processing plants in South Africa.
Though uranium production in South Africa showed a decrease from 711t in 2000 to 579t in 2010, in 2011 930t were produced with a forecast of 2,000t by 2020.[27] In 2016, Tasman Pacific Minerals, owned by Peninsula Energy started plans to open the first uranium ore mine, Tasman RSA.[28]
Working conditions[edit]
Conditions on most South African mines are very similar to those elsewhere[29] except for the gold mines where the low geothermal gradient, i.e. the rate at which the temperature goes up with depth, is often as low as 9 °C per kilometre depth (compared with a world average of about 25 °C/km[30]), and this, combined with narrow and very continuous orebodies in hard and competent rocks, makes it possible to mine to depths unattainable elsewhere in the world.
Silica dust is an ever-present potential hazard so that all drilling dust and loose rock has to be wetted down at all times to prevent silicosis, a lethal disease that attacks the lungs. Unfortunately the narrowness of the inclined reefs/orebodies prevents mechanisation except in a very few cases and most work is very labour-intensive. Ventilation requirements to keep working conditions tolerable are huge and a survey of the South African gold mines indicated that the average quantity of ventilating air circulated was some 6 cubic metres per second (210 cu ft/s) per 1000 ton of rock mined per month.[31]
Another serious problem is that of heat. In the deeper mines refrigeration of the intake air is often necessary to keep conditions tolerable and this is now becoming necessary on some platinum mines which, although shallower, have a higher geothermal gradient.[32] Refrigeration is very energy hungry and it is currently a moot point whether ESKOM, the state power company, can supply the necessary power after its recent[when?] problems, which will cut power supplies to 90% of previous levels until at least 2012, when a new powerstation is ready.[33][34]
The South African mining industry is frequently criticized for its poor safety record and high number of fatalities but conditions are improving. Total fatalities were 533 in 1995 and had fallen to 199 in 2006.[35] The overall fatality rate in 2006 was 0.43 per 1,000 per annum but this hides some important differences. The gold mining rate was 0.71, platinum mining was 0.24 and other mining was 0.35. (For comparison, the rate in the Sixties was around 1.5—see any Chamber of Mines Annual of the period). The reason for the difference is quite clear; the gold mines are much deeper and conditions are both more difficult and dangerous than on the shallower platinum mines.
Falls of ground dominated the causes at 72, machinery, transportation and mining accidents caused 70 and the remainder were classed as general.[36] Of the falls of ground, approximately two thirds were on the deep gold mines, a reflection of the extreme pressure at depth and continual movement of the country rock. Amongst the machinery, mining and transportation fatalities were working on grizzlies[clarification needed] without safety belts, working below loose rock in ore passes, getting crushed by that deadly combination of a loco and a ventilation door frame (the clearance between the two is only a few inches) and working on running conveyors, all direct contraventions of safety instructions. Drilling into misfires was also mentioned, a clear example of sloppy and unsafe mining.
It is difficult to see how falls of ground can be eliminated given their frequent unpredictability, which is increasing with depth, and the difficulties in providing continuous roof support as on longwall coal mines due to the violence of a face blast in the hard rock of the gold mines but clearly much can be done to improve training and to instill a sense of safe working practice in the miners, many of whom are relatively inexperienced.
Mine safety received considerable publicity in 2007, particularly after 3,200 workers were temporarily trapped underground at the Elandskraal mine after a compressed air pipe ruptured due to internal corrosion, broke lose and fell into the man-hoisting shaft. The workers were eventually rescued through the rock hoisting shaft after the blasting smoke had cleared. The incident caused South African President Thabo Mbeki to mandate full safety audits for all operating mines. This audit has caused additional facilities to shut down temporarily, including the nation's largest gold mine located at Driefontein.[37]
Rand Rebellion[edit]
The Rand Rebellion was a widespread strike amongst miners in the Witwatersrand area of the Transvaal Province in the former Union of South Africa.
2007 strike[edit]
In 2007 the South African National Union of Mineworkers, which represents the nation's mineworkers, engaged in a series of talks with the Chamber of Mines, an industry group. The meetings also saw the participation of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, a body with mediation authority over the dispute. On 27 November 2007, the National Union of Mineworkers announced that South African mineworkers would go on strike to protest at unsafe working conditions.[38] The strike took place on 4 December, and impacted over 240,000 workers at 60 sites across the country, including mines devoted to the production of gold, platinum, and coal.[39][40]
2012 Lonmin strike[edit]
The Lonmin strike was a strike in August 2012 in the Marikana area, close to Rustenburg, South Africa at a mine owned by Lonmin one of the world's largest primary producers of platinum group metals (PGMs). A series of violent confrontations occurred between platinum mine workers on strike and the South African Police Service on Thursday, 16 August 2012, and resulted in the deaths of 34 individuals (30 were miners and 4 protesters), as well as the injury of an additional 78 miners. Occurring in the post-apartheid era, it was the deadliest incident of violence between police and the civilian population in South Africa since the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre which prompted South African President Jacob Zuma to set up an investigation. Gordon Farlam was appointed as the chairperson of a committee. Under the probe, Cyril Ramaphosa testified for lobbying with the Lonmin and SAPS. Ramaphosa also accepted to the commission that massacre could have been avoided if proper precautionary actions had been taken.[41][42]
Jacob Zuma declared a 66-day-long week of mourning.[43]
In 2014, platinum industry workers went on a strike that lasted five months. It was the longest strike in the history of South African mining.[44]
Politics[edit]
There have few parties that advocate to nationalizing the industry the most major one is Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) that was founded on 2013 and by 2014 elections became the third-largest party in South Africa. the others are
Black First Land First
Workers and Socialist Party
See also[edit]
African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation
Asbestos and the law
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "South African mining is in crisis". The Economist. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
Jump up ^ "Africa's new Number One". The Economist. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Jump up ^ "U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2013" (PDF). USGS.gov. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Jump up ^ "USGS Minerals Information: Mineral Commodity Summaries". minerals.USGS.gov. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Jump up ^ "USGS Minerals Information: Mineral Commodity Summaries". minerals.USGS.gov. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
^ Jump up to: a b "South Africa's coal future looks bright". Platts.com. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Jump up ^ SA replaces India as China's No 3 iron-ore supplier, International: Mining Weekly, 2013
Jump up ^ Mining licences can be revoked – Mantashe, International: Mining Weekly, 2013
Jump up ^ Duxbury, Geo. (1981). David and Goliath: The First War of Independence, 1880-1881. South African National Museum of Military History. ISBN 0-620-05012-8.
Jump up ^ Charlotte Mathews (2007-11-07). "South Africa: Mining Investment Shows Recovery". Business Day (Johannesburg).
^ Jump up to: a b "CIA World Factbook, South Africa". United States Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
^ Jump up to: a b "United States Geological Survey, 2002 Mineral Industry Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-11-27.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "United States Geological Survey, 2005 Minerals Yearbook: South Africa" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-11-28.
Jump up ^ Naidoo, Brindaveni (15 December 2006). "TauTona to take 'deepest mine' accolade". Creamer Media's Mining Weekly Online. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
Jump up ^ "Two miles underground". Princeton Weekly Bulletin. 13 December 1999. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
^ Jump up to: a b Kirk, Jason; Joakin Ruiz; John Chesley and Spencer Titley; The Origin of Gold in South Africa, American Scientist, Vol 91, Nov.-Dec 2003, pp. 534-531 [1]
Jump up ^ "United States Geological Survey, 2003 Mineral Study, South Africa" (PDF). (211 KiB)
Jump up ^ "NAP - Palladium - Market Overview". www.napalladium.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ "Palladium mine production worldwide by country 2010-2015 | Statistic". Statista. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ http://www.saiia.org.za/occasional-papers/26-uranium-mining-in-africa-a-continent-at-the-centre-of-a-global-nuclear-renaissance/file
Jump up ^ http://www.saiea.com/uranium/14chap4march2011.pdf
Jump up ^ "Nuclear Power in South Africa | South African Nuclear Energy - World Nuclear Association". www.world-nuclear.org. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ Ackroyd, Bianca. "Uranium mining in the Karoo South Africa's new gold?". www.enca.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ "AngloGold still on top of uranium deposits". Financial Mail. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ "Sibanye hoards uranium for deals". Business Day Live. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ "New Uranium Mining Projects - South Africa". www.wise-uranium.org. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ Kotze, Chantelle. "Uranium-rich South Africa good environment for nuclear plants". Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ CrowleyKev, Kevin Crowley. "Uranium in South Africa's Karoo May Be 10 Times Estimate". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
Jump up ^ "Mining Conditions in South Africa - Mining in Africa". Mining Africa. 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
Jump up ^ "Geothermal Gradient vs. Tectonic Setting (not a very satisfactory reference but the best I could find) ". UBC.ca. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Jump up ^ Economics Dept The platinum supply equation - refrigeration key to ongoing supply levels Archived 3 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ [2]
Jump up ^ Electricity crisis puts 6,900 Gold Fields jobs at risk and further effect on production
Jump up ^ "Limited power for mines to 2012". News24.com. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Jump up ^ S A Chamber of Mines Facts and Figures 2006 [permanent dead link]
Jump up ^ "Department of Minerals and Energy, Accident Statistics ". DME.gov.za. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Jump up ^ "Gold Fields Says Africa's Biggest Gold Mine Halted". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
Jump up ^ "First-ever industrywide strike to hit South Africa mines". CNN. Retrieved 2007-11-28. [dead link]
Jump up ^ "Officials meet to decide planned S.Africa mine strike". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2007.
Jump up ^ "South African miners to strike on Dec. 4". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-11-28. [permanent dead link]
Jump up ^ "Cyril Ramaphosa: The true betrayal | Daily Maverick". www.dailymaverick.co.za. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
Jump up ^ "MARIKANA COMMISSION INQUIRY REPORT" (PDF). The Marikana Commission of Inquiry. October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-12.
Jump up ^ "President declares week of mourning after Lonmin bloodbath". SowetanLive.co.za. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
Jump up ^ Leander (24 October 2014). "2014 South African platinum strike: longest wage strike in South Africa". SAHistory.org.za. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
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National Treasure: Book of Secrets
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Jon Turteltaub
Produced by
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jon Turteltaub
Screenplay by
Cormac Wibberley
Marianne Wibberley
Story by
Gregory Poirier
Cormac Wibberley
Marianne Wibberley
Terry Rossio
Ted Elliott
Based on
Characters
by Jim Kouf
Oren Aviv
Charles Segars
Starring
Nicolas Cage
Jon Voight
Harvey Keitel
Ed Harris
Diane Kruger
Justin Bartha
Bruce Greenwood
Helen Mirren
Music by
Trevor Rabin
Cinematography
John Schwartzman
Amir Mokri
Edited by
William Goldenberg
David Rennie
Production
company
Walt Disney Pictures
Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Junction Entertainment
Saturn Films
Distributed by
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date
December 21, 2007 (2007-12-21)
Running time
124 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$130 million[1]
Box office
$457.4 million[2]
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (released on home video as National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets) is a 2007 mystery adventure film directed by Jon Turteltaub and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It is a sequel to the 2004 film National Treasure and is the second part of the National Treasure franchise. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Bruce Greenwood, and Helen Mirren.
It was stated in the first film's commentary that there were no plans for a sequel, but due to the first film's impressive box-office performance (earning $347.5 million worldwide), a sequel was given the go-ahead in 2005.
The film premiered in New York City on December 13, 2007, and was released in North America by Walt Disney Pictures on December 21, 2007.
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Soundtrack
5 Reception
5.1 Critical response
5.2 Box office
6 Novelizations
7 Home video
8 Sequel
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Plot[edit]
On April 15, 1865, five days after the end of the Civil War, John Wilkes Booth and Michael O'Laughlen enter a tavern in Washington DC and approach Thomas Gates to decode a message in Booth's diary. Thomas recognizes the message as using the Playfair cipher and begins to translate it. While he does so, Booth leaves for Ford's Theatre and assassinates President Abraham Lincoln. Thomas solves the puzzle and realizes the men are members of the Knights of the Golden Circle and are Confederate sympathizers. A fight breaks out, and Thomas rips several pages from the diary and throws them in the fireplace. Thomas is shot, and the gunman retrieves only a page fragment.
More than 140 years later, Thomas's great-great grandson Ben Gates delivers a lecture on the story at a Civilian Heroes conference. Black market antiquities dealer, Mitch Wilkinson, shows one of the 18 missing pages of John Wilkes Booth's diary, with Thomas Gates' name written on it, convincing everyone that Thomas was not only a conspirator, but also the grand architect of the Lincoln assassination. Ben sets out to prove the innocence of Thomas.
Using spectral imaging, Ben, his estranged girlfriend Abigail Chase, and friend Riley Poole discover a cipher pointing to Édouard Laboulaye, hidden on the back of the diary page. Ben and Riley travel to Paris, where they find a clue engraved on the torch of the scale model of the Statue of Liberty, referring to the two Resolute desks. One of the desks is used by the President at the Oval Office in Washington, while the other is used by the Queen in Buckingham Palace in London.
Ben and Riley then head to London to infiltrate the Palace and Abigail shows up, unannounced. From the Queen's desk, he obtains an ancient wooden plank. Meanwhile, Wilkinson has broken into Patrick Gates' house and cloned Patrick's cell phone to track Ben's whereabouts. Wilkinson eventually obtains the wooden plank, but not before Ben manages to photograph the symbols carved into the plank.
At Ben's insistence, Patrick reluctantly asks his ex-wife and Ben's mother, Dr. Emily Appleton, for help in translating the symbols. She does so, but points out that some of the glyphs are partial, leading Ben to conclude that another plank must be hidden in the other Resolute desk at the White House.
Ben and Abigail coax Abigail's new love interest, Connor, a curator for the White House, into letting them into the office to see the desk. Ben discovers that the second plank is missing, but he does find a stamp bearing the seal of the "President's Secret Book". Riley tells Ben that the Book of Secrets contains documents collected "by Presidents, for Presidents' eyes only", covering such controversial subjects as the JFK assassination, Watergate, and Area 51.
Ben crashes the President's birthday party at Mount Vernon to convince the President to follow him into a secret tunnel under the House, where he confronts him about the book. The President warns Ben that his actions will be interpreted as an attempt to kidnap the President and Ben is now wanted for committing a federal offense. Ben convinces the President to reveal the location of the book, which is at the Library of Congress.
In the book, Ben finds a picture of the missing plank from the desk and an entry by President Coolidge, who found the plank in 1924, had it destroyed, and commissioned Gutzon Borglum to carve Mount Rushmore to erase the map's landmarks in order to protect the treasure. However, FBI Agent Sadusky tracks Ben to the Library and the three narrowly escape capture.
Ben, Riley, Abigail, and Patrick then head to Mount Rushmore, where they meet Mitch, who has kidnapped Ben's mother, Emily. Mitch helps them find the entrance of a cave, containing the legendary Native American city of gold, Cíbola. Once inside, they encounter several traps and everyone gets separated. Eventually, they find the city of solid gold underneath Mount Rushmore and it begins flooding with water. In order to get out alive, one person has to stay behind to hold open the door to the tunnel. After a struggle and Ben's attempt to sacrifice himself, Mitch ends up staying behind and asking Ben to give him the credit for finding the treasure.
Ben clears his family's name with the discovery and is cleared of all charges when the President, in an attempt to protect Ben, tells everyone that Ben saved his life. Ben also ensures Mitch receives joint credit for the find. At the end, the President mentions the favor he asked of Ben when he gave him the location of the Book, implying that a third movie would be forthcoming.
Cast[edit]
Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin "Ben" Gates
Justin Bartha as Riley Poole, Ben's best friend
Diane Kruger as Dr. Abigail Chase, Ben's colleague and girlfriend
Jon Voight as Patrick Henry Gates, Ben's father who is divorced from his wife Emily.
Helen Mirren as Dr. Emily Appleton-Gates, Ben's mother who is divorced from her husband, Patrick.
Ed Harris as Mitch Wilkinson, a black market dealer, and Ben's nemesis
Harvey Keitel as FBI Special Agent Sadusky
Armando Riesco as FBI Special Agent Hendricks
Alicia Coppola as FBI Special Agent Spellman
Albert Hall as Dr. Nichols
Bruce Greenwood as President of the United States
Ty Burrell as Connor, Abigail's new boyfriend who works at the White House
Randy Travis makes a cameo appearance, playing himself. Small supporting parts are played by Joel Gretsch and Billy Unger as Gates' ancestors Thomas Gates and Charles Carroll Gates; Christian Camargo as John Wilkes Booth; and Zachary Gordon as a boy who gets into a heated argument with Gates over a Lincoln conspiracy.
Production[edit]
Shooting of the film in London
Many scenes of historic locations were filmed on location, including the scenes at Mount Vernon and Mount Rushmore.[3][4] Filming at Mount Rushmore took longer than initially scheduled, due to inclement weather and the decision to change the setting of additional scenes to the area around Mount Rushmore to take advantage of Black Hills backdrop.[4]
Soundtrack[edit]
Main article: National Treasure: Book of Secrets (soundtrack)
The soundtrack to National Treasure: Book of Secrets was released on December 18, 2007.
No.
Title
Artist
Length
1. "Page 47" Trevor Rabin 2:39
2. "Cibola" Trevor Rabin 5:16
3. "Spirit of Paris" Trevor Rabin 2:20
4. "City of Gold" Trevor Rabin 2:13
5. "So!" Trevor Rabin 1:46
6. "Bunnies" Trevor Rabin 2:03
7. "Gabby Shuffle" Trevor Rabin 1:52
8. "Franklin's Tunnel" Trevor Rabin 4:28
Total length: 22:37[5]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
National Treasure: Book of Secrets received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 35%, based on 125 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A talented cast goes to waste in the improbable National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which is eerily similar to the first film."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[8]
British film critics disputed the implication of British support for the Confederate side in the American Civil War.[9] The film earned two Razzie Award nominations including Worst Actor for Nicolas Cage (also for Ghost Rider and Next) and Worst Supporting Actor for Jon Voight (also for Bratz: The Movie, September Dawn and Transformers), but lost both categories to Eddie Murphy for Norbit.
The film was nominated for Best Movie at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, but lost to Transformers.
Box office[edit]
National Treasure: Book of Secrets grossed $220 million in North America and $237.4 million in other territories for a total gross of $457.4 million, against a budget of $130 million.[10] It took 38 days to outgross the first film ($347.5 million).
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $44.8 million, finishing in first at the box office. It remained in first at the box office for two more weeks, grossing $35.7 million and $20.1 million, respectively, until it was dethroned by The Bucket List ($19.4 million).
Novelizations[edit]
Disney Press published an official novelization of the screenplay titled National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets The Junior Novel on November 6, 2007.[11] Parts of the story in the novel version differ slightly from what was actually filmed, owing to changes being made in the screenplay prior to and during production. For example, in the novel, Ben and Abigail photograph the wooden plank found hidden in the Queen's desk and leave it behind, with the car chase following. But in the movie, they take the plank with them on the chase.
Also published on the same day as the official novelization was a companion youth novel Changing Tides: A Gates Family Mystery by Catherine Hapka. Its story is set in England in the year 1612 and is the first in a series of planned historical novels about the Gates family. The epilogue from Changing Tides is included at the back of the National Treasure book.[12] The second youth novel by Hapka, Midnight Ride: A Gates Family Mystery, was published on March 8, 2008.[13]
Home video[edit]
National Treasure: Book of Secrets was released on DVD, UMD, and Blu-ray Disc on May 20, 2008[14] (June 2, 2008 in the UK).[15] In the opening weekend, 3,178,631 DVD units were sold, bringing in $50,826,310 in revenue. As of August 2009, 5,873,640 DVD units have been sold, generating revenue of $93,132,076. This does not include Blu-ray Disc sales or DVD rentals.[16]
The film has been retitled National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets for all three releases. The film's official website has also been changed accordingly.
A special edition, called the "National Treasure Presidential Edition", contains National Treasure and National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets inside a letter book which is a replica of the Presidents' secret book from National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets.[17]
Sequel[edit]
Director Jon Turteltaub said that the team will take their time on a second National Treasure sequel,[18] but Disney has already registered the domains for NationalTreasure3DVD.com and NationalTreasure4DVD.com.[19] Though the second film ended with the question about page 47 of the President's book of secrets, Turteltaub responded in a press interview that the idea was not set in stone as the basis for National Treasure 3.
In October 2013, Turteltaub confirmed to Collider that the studio, himself, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the actors all want to do the third film: "We want to do the movie, Disney wants to do the movie. We're just having the damnedest time writing it. I'll bet that within two years, we'll be shooting that movie. I'd say we're about half-way there. It's not only writing a great historical mystery, but we've gotta write something that has nothing to do with anything we've done before. The goal is to always have an original sequel, as silly as that sounds. We really want to make sure that the third one doesn’t just feel like a repeat of the first one, or one too many".[20]
See also[edit]
Abraham Lincoln assassination
Playfair cipher
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "National Treasure: Book of Secrets". Already seen. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
Jump up ^ "National Treasure: Books of Secrets (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
Jump up ^ "The National Treasure Tour at Mount Vernon". Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b "'National Treasure 2' Shooting Update". Worst Previews. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
Jump up ^ National Treasure: Book of Secrets Soundtrack TheOST. Retrieved January 13, 2014
Jump up ^ "National Treasure: Book of Secrets". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
Jump up ^ "National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
Jump up ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
Jump up ^ Bradshaw, Peter (8 February 2008). "National Treasure: Book of Secrets". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
Jump up ^ "National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
Jump up ^ "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, The Junior Novel". Amazon. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
Jump up ^ "Changing Tides (National Treasure)". Amazon. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
Jump up ^ "Midnight Ride (Gates Family Mystery)". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
Jump up ^ Lai, Marcus. "National Treasure Blu-ray orders spike at Amazon". Punch jump. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
Jump up ^ "National Treasure 2 – Book of Secrets". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
Jump up ^ "National Treasure: The Book of Secrets – DVD Sales", The Numbers, 2007
Jump up ^ "Disney's National Treasure Limited Leather 5-Disc Set DVD (National Treasure, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
Jump up ^ Kirkland, Bruce (2008-05-30). "'National Treasure 3' in works". Jam!. CA: Canoe.
Jump up ^ Sciretta, Peter (2008-02-01). "Disney Plans For National Treasure 3 & 4". SlashFilm.
Jump up ^ Franklin, Garth (22 October 2013). "A "National Treasure 3" Is On The Way?". Dark Horizons.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: National Treasure: Book of Secrets
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National Treasure: Book of Secrets at Metacritic
National Treasure: Book of Secrets at Box Office Mojo
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Films directed by Jon Turteltaub
Think Big (1990)
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Instinct (1999)
Disney's The Kid (2000)
National Treasure (2004)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
Last Vegas (2013)
The Meg (2018)
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Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
March or Die (1977)
Defiance (1980)
American Gigolo (1980)
Thief (1981)
Young Doctors in Love (1982)
Flashdance (1983)
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Top Gun (1986)
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Déjà Vu (2006)
Glory Road (2006)
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National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
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Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
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Deliver Us from Evil (2014)
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Smouldering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Smoulder" redirects here. For the King Adora song, see Smoulder (song).
Smouldering combustion in glowing embers of barbecue coal briquettes
Smouldering (British English) or smoldering (American English; see spelling differences) is the slow, low-temperature, flameless form of combustion, sustained by the heat evolved when oxygen directly attacks the surface of a condensed-phase fuel.[1] Many solid materials can sustain a smouldering fat , including coal, cellulose, wood, cotton, tobacco, cannabis, peat, plant litter, humus, synthetic foams, charring polymers including polyurethane foam and some types of dust. Common examples of smouldering phenomena are the initiation of residential fires on upholstered furniture by weak heat sources (e.g., a cigarette, a short-circuited wire), and the persistent combustion of biomass behind the flaming front of wildfires.[2]
Contents
[hide]
1 Fundamentals
2 Smouldering materials
3 Threats from smouldering
4 Beneficial applications
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Fundamentals[edit]
A smouldering cigarette.
The fundamental difference between smouldering and flaming combustion is that smouldering occurs on the surface of the solid rather than in the gas phase. Smouldering is a surface phenomenon but can propagate to the interior of a porous fuel if it is permeable to flow. The characteristic temperature and heat released during smouldering are low compared to those in the flaming combustion (i.e., ~600 °C [1,112 °F] vs. ~1,500 °C [2,730 °F]). Smouldering propagates in a creeping fashion, around 0.1 mm/s (0.0039 in/s), which is about ten times slower than flames spread over a solid. In spite of its weak combustion characteristics, smouldering is a significant fire hazard. Smouldering emits toxic gases (e.g., carbon monoxide) at a higher yield than flaming fires and leaves behind a significant amount of solid residue. The emitted gases are flammable and could later be ignited in the gas phase, triggering the transition to flaming combustion.[3]
Smouldering materials[edit]
Polyurethane foam sample from the NASA smouldering experiments.
Many materials can sustain a smouldering reaction, including coal, tobacco, decaying wood and sawdust, biomass fuels on the forest surface (duff) and subsurface (peat), cotton clothing and string, and polymeric foams (e.g., upholstery and bedding materials). Smouldering fuels are generally porous, permeable to flow and formed by aggregates (particulates, grains, fibres or of cellular structure). These aggregates facilitate the surface reaction with oxygen by allowing gas flow through the fuel and providing a large surface area per unit volume. They also act as thermal insulation, reducing heat losses. The most studied materials to date are cellulose and polyurethane foams.
Threats from smouldering[edit]
This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (February 2009)
The characteristics of smouldering fires make them a threat of new dimensions, taking the form of colossal underground fires or silent fire safety risks, as summarized below.
Fire safety: The main hazards posed by smouldering arise from the fact that it can be easily initiated (by heat sources too weak to ignite flames) and is difficult to detect. Fire statistics draw attention to the magnitude of smouldering combustion as the leading cause of fire deaths in residential areas (i.e., more than 25% of the fire deaths in the United States are attributed to smoulder-initiated fires, with similar figures in other developed countries). A particularly common fire scenario is a cigarette igniting a piece of upholstered furniture. This ignition leads to a smouldering fire that lasts for a long period of time (in the order of hours), spreading slowly and silently until critical conditions are attained and flames suddenly erupt;[4] fire-resistant cigarettes have been developed to reduce the risk of fire due to smouldering. Smouldering combustion is also a fire-safety concern aboard space facilities (e.g., International Space Station), because the absence of gravity is thought to promote smouldering ignition and propagation.
Wildfires: Smouldering combustion of the forest ground does not have the visual impact of flaming combustion; however, it has important consequences for the forest ecosystem. Smouldering of biomass can linger for days or weeks after flaming has ceased, resulting in large quantities of fuels consumed and becoming a global source of emissions to the atmosphere.[5] The slow propagation leads to prolonged heating[6] and might cause sterilizations of the soil or the killing of roots, seeds, and plant stems at the ground level.
Smoke and pollution from fires in Borneo, 1997.
Subsurface fires: Fires occurring many meters below the surface are a type of smouldering event of colossal magnitude. Subsurface fires in coal mines, peat lands and landfills are rare events, but when active they can smoulder for very long periods of time (months or years), emitting enormous quantities of combustion gases into the atmosphere, causing deterioration of air quality and subsequent health problems. The oldest and largest fires in the world, burning for centuries, are smouldering fires.[citation needed] These fires are fed by the oxygen in the small but continuous flow of air through natural pipe networks, fractured strata, cracks, openings or abandoned mine shafts which permit the air to circulate into the subsurface. The reduced heat losses and high thermal inertia of the underground together with high fuel availability promote long-term smouldering combustion and allow for creeping but extensive propagation. These fires prove difficult to detect, and frustrate most efforts to extinguish them. The dramatic 1997 peatland fires in Borneo caused the recognition of subsurface smouldering fires as a global threat with significant economic, social and ecological impacts.[7] The summer of 2006 saw the resurgence of the Borneo peat fires.[8]
The smouldering pile of debris after the September 11 attacks, Manhattan, New York.
World Trade Center debris: After the attack, fire and subsequent collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the colossal pile of debris left on the site smouldered for more than five months.[9] It resisted attempts by fire fighters to extinguish it until most of the rubble was removed. The effects of the gaseous and aerosolized products of smouldering on the health of the emergency workers were significant but the details are still a matter of debate.[10]
Beneficial applications[edit]
Smouldering combustion has some beneficial applications.
Biochar is the charcoal produced from the smouldering and/or pyrolysis of biomass. It has the potential to be a short-term solution to lower CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Charcoal is a stable solid and rich in carbon content, and thus, it could be used to lock carbon in the soil. The natural decomposition and burning of trees and agricultural waste contributes with a large amount of CO2 released to the atmosphere. Biochar could be used to store part of this carbon content in the ground, at the same time that its presence in the earth increases soil productivity. Biochar has carbon negative applications for energy production.
In wildfire management, smouldering controlled burns can be used to reduce shallow layers of natural fuels at a slow propagation rate.[11] These fires have two benefits when kept in very shallow layers: they are easy to control and result in little damage to the forest stand
Smouldering of tires produces tar and energy at the same time, fostering the recycling of tires.
In situ combustion of petroleum sites is increasingly used for oil recovery when traditional extraction methods prove inefficient or too costly.
In situ smouldering combustion is being explored as a novel remediation technology for soil contamination.[12]
See also[edit]
Grilling
References[edit]
Jump up ^ http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire02/art074.html "Smoldering Combustion" by T.J. Ohlemiller, SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering (3rd Edition),2002
Jump up ^ G Rein, Smouldering Combustion Phenomena in Science and Technology, International Review of Chemical Engineering 1, pp. 3-18, 2009 http://hdl.handle.net/1842/2678
Jump up ^ http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire02/art074.html "Smoldering Combustion" by T.J. Ohlemiller, SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering (3rd Edition),2002.
Jump up ^ J. R. Hall, 2004, The Smoking-Material Fire Problem, Fire Analysis and Research Division of The National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA (USA). November 2004.
Jump up ^ I.T. Bertschi, R.J. Yokelson, D.E. Ward, R.E. Babbitt, R.A. Susott, J.G. Goode, W.M. Hao, 2003, Trace gas and particle emissions from fires in large diameter and belowground biomass fuels, Journal of Geophysical Research 108 (D13), pp. 8.1-8.12.
Jump up ^ G. Rein; N. Cleaver; C. Ashton; P. Pironi; J.L. Torero (2008). "The Severity of Smouldering Peat Fires and Damage to the Forest Soil". Catena. 74 (3): 304–309. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2008.05.008.
Jump up ^ S.E. Page, F. Siegert, J.O. Rieley, H.-D.V. Boehm, A. Jaya, S. Limin, 2002, The amount of carbon released from peat and forest fires in Indonesia during 1997, Nature 420, pp. 61-61.
Jump up ^ Forest fire haze brings misery to Indonesia and beyond, The Guardian, October 6, 2006. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,1889323,00.html
Jump up ^ J. Beard, Ground Zero's fires still burning, NewScientific, 3 December 2001.
Jump up ^ J.D. Pleil, W.E. Funk, S.M. Rappaport, 2006, Residual Indoor Contamination from World Trade Center Rubble Fires as Indicated by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Profiles, Environmental Science & Technology 40 (2006) 1172-1177.
Jump up ^ H.H. Biswell, Prescribed Burning in California Wildlands Vegetation Management (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1989)
Jump up ^ P Pironi, C Switzer, G Rein, JI Gerhard, JL Torero, A Fuentes, Small-Scale Forward Smouldering Experiments for Remediation of Coal Tar in Inert Media, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 32 (2), pp. 1957-1964, 2009. [1]
External links[edit]
Look up smolder in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Microgravity smouldering (NASA-funded) research facility at the University of California at Berkeley.
de Souza Costa, Fernando; Sandberg, David (2004). "Mathematical model of a smoldering log" (PDF). Combustion and Flame (139): 227–238. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
Fire Danger. Cigarette Litter.org
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