The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-03
DIAToMACEoUS DEPOSITS.
Government Looks Into Interesting and
Valuable California Deposits.

The diatomaccous deposits so widely
distributed in the Coast ranges of Call
fornin are found In such purity and such
nexhaustibe quantities In Northern
Santa Barbara county as to give them
great commercial value and IL is for this
rences Is included by the United States
Geological Survey In the Contributions
TO Economic Geology for 1906 lBullctin
No. Sl5): The, paper was prepared by
Messrs. Ralph Arnold and Robert Andcr
son as the result OF field work In 1906
In the Lompoc and Guadalupe districts.
lnfusorlal earth. trpoll. diatomaceous
earth; and. In Santa Barbara county:
chalk rocls." The most appropriate OF
these names is diatomaceous earth. as
the material is composed almost entirely
of the skeletons OF minute organisms
called diatoms-one-cele plants that
adapt themselves to wide range of con-
ditions Of depth, and temperature I'm fresh
salt water and sccrete SlliCeous cas-
ings around their organic matter. They
must have lived in great abundance I'm
OF the land. for the rock was built up
OF the little shells of these plants that
dropped TO the sea bottom, Examination
with a hand lens always reveals large
number Of the round forms of the dIatom
shells thlckly imbedded in the shalc.
Many of these shells arc In n good state
of Sn and IN sGme Of ng
with the naked eye. The name ',chalk
rock Is inappropriate, for although the
deposits resemble chalk in appearance
they are made OF sliceous instead OF cal
careouS material
The uses 10 which The dIatomaccous
earth arc put are constantly Increasing.
and the methods Of application arc de-
veloping. Formerly employed solely for
abrasive purposes 1t soon became use
ful in the manufacture Of polishing pow
ders SOAPS, etc; but It's abrasive pual-
porosity makes IL n good absorbent and
4, is extensively used in the manufacture
OF dynamite from nitroglycerine. Being
very light and poor conductor of heat,
IL Is valuable for use in the manuiact-
ure OF packing for safes. steam pipes and
boilers. and of hrcproof building mater
ials II also serves as base for the
manufacture OF cement suitable for with
standing heat II Is a good altering sub
stance and is so used commercially.
Some OF the earth from the Lompoc
region Is said 10 be used In the refining
OF beet sugar. In the Iompoc region
md also at Monterey. farther north on
the California coast IT is used in the
easily qunrried into smooth blocks which
can he readily placed In position, The
blocks arc compact and vet elastic under
changes OF temperature. seem to possess
strength. and are very resist
ant TO weathering. As n building ma
terial II is finely adapted 10 a region
subject to earthquakes. for the shock
effect on q substance so light would
probably he the minimum and smaller
amount of damage would result from
falling materials The Santa Barbara
county deposits are rendered exception
ally valuable by their proximity to rail-
road and ocean transportation facilities.
The paper referred to includes de-
scriptions OF the various occurrence Of
their physical and chemical properties
and statistics of production I'm the
United States. II may be obtained by
to The Director United States
Geological Survey. Washington, D G.