mt sylvia diatomite at rockhoundz.com.au
mt sylvia diatomite at rockhoundz.com.au
mt sylvia diatomite at rockhoundz.com.au
sponge associated with mt sylvia diatomite at rockhoundz.com.au
mt sylvia diatomite at rockhoundz.com.au

Diatomite

$2.00 inc GST

Diatomite, or diatomaceous earth, is a very distinctive sedimentary rock.  It is whitish, powdery, and very lightweight.  It seems quite soft, but the individual particles making up the rock are siliceous (opaline silica), having a hardness around 6 on the Mohs Scale.  This makes diatomaceous earth a wonderful mild abrasive.  It is mined for use in a wide variety of products.  Most people encounter diatomites everyday as one of the ingredients in toothpaste (the opaline silica scrapes away foreign material from tooth surfaces).

Diatoms are about 10um in size and visible with a good light microscope.

Images are examples of specimens only.

Size and shape may vary.

Specimens are usually no smaller than 75mm in one dimension.

55 in stock

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Description

This diatomite was formed in a fresh water lake and is overlayed by a Tertiary basalt flow. Made up of diatoms of the Melosira species, it is microscopically porous, has a low bulk density and has many uses in agriculture from food additive to soil ameliorant and as a soluble form of pure silica which helps plants resist both fungal and insect attack.

Diatoms are about 10um in size and visible with a good light microscope.

Images are examples of specimens only.

Size and shape may vary.

Specimens are usually no smaller than 75mm in one dimension.

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