Copper: Mining and Smelting
Copper: Mining and Smelting is a short film from 1950 released on 16mm. It is held in the Prelinger Archives collection.
ACCOUNT OF AN OPEN-PIT COPPER MINE IN OPERATION. ILLUSTRATES THE MAIN STEPS IN EXTRACTING PURE COPPER FROM ORE. PICTURES THE PROCESSES OF BLASTING, LOADING & DISPOSING OF WASTE ROCK, LOADING ORE IN RAILROAD CARS, CRUSHING & WASHING.
Copper production from pit mine to ingot.
Shots: Mountains; copper mines; drilling holes for explosives; drills; dynamite (powder and sticks); blasting; explosions; heavy earthmoving equipment; railroad track moving equipment (works with people inside it); conveyor belts; mills; pollution; toxic waste; pouring of molten slag (waste) into dump; molten metal being formed into ingots;
Voiceover: "Perhaps the largest single mining operation known is this open pit mine at Bingham, Utah."
As part of milling operation: "The powdered particles containing copper, known copper sulfide actually float to the top with the bubbles. Now this froth is drawn off the top, while the mud and waste are drawn off underneath and carried off to this dump which covers 7 1/2 square miles."
0:00 1st frame of title Camera pans landscapes, mountains MCU open pit mine in Utah CU dulls, men putting dulls in and dropping pipe into drilled hole CU men pouring dynamite into holes and putting sticks of dynamite in CU whistle blowing to warn of blast
2:31 VS dynamite blast VS/MLS power shovels after blast, putting dirt into railroad cars RR cars - shot of track mover - car that moves tracks
4:07 VS moving ore trains VS ore being put in crusher, then on conveyor belt, then steel drums for fine crushing VS/CU men holding handful of steel balls used in crusher barrels, before and after
5:36 VS/CU Frothly bubbly mixture - part of flotation process
6:25 Copper concentrate - muddy mixture on conveyor belt VS transporting concentrate
7:17 Dark scene with fire
7:30 VS infernos, fire scenes Molten, fiery liquid Workmen loading refined copper CU uses of copper
The end
9:52:09- 9:53:35
Beautiful pan of hills and clouds the hills are different colors and textures.
9:55:27- 9:55:46
Dramatic shots of hills along a railroad being blasted away by dynamite in the background there are snow-capped mountains. The camera cuts to several other blasting sites where we watch dirt collapse and dust fill the air.
9:58:55- 9:59:09The dump for pollution caused by mining which is actually quite beautiful looks like a tranquil sound with mountains in the background.
| Copper: Mining and Smelting | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Viking Pictures Corp. |
Production company | Viking Pictures Corp. |
| Distributed by | Viking Pictures Corp. |
Release date | 1950 |
Running time | 11:00 |
| Language | English |
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