ʻO ka Diatomite kahi ʻano pōhaku siliceous, i hoʻolaha nui ʻia ma Kina, ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa, Iapana, Denemaka, Palani, Romania a me nā ʻāina ʻē aʻe. He pōhaku sedimentary siliceous biogenic ia, i haku ʻia me nā koena o nā diatoms kahiko. ʻO kona ʻano kemika ʻo SiO2, hiki ke hōʻike ʻia e like me SiO2 · nH2O, a ʻo kona ʻano mineral he opal a me kona ʻano. ʻO nā waihona o ka diatomite ma Kina he 320 miliona tons, a ʻo nā waihona e hiki mai ana he ʻoi aku ma mua o 2 biliona tons.

ʻO ka nui o ka diatomite he 1.9-2.3g/cm3, ʻo ka nui o ka nui he 0.34-0.65g/cm3, ʻo ka ʻili kikoʻī he 40-65 ㎡/g, a ʻo ka nui o ka pore he 0.45-0.98m³/g. ʻO ka omo ʻana o ka wai he 2-4 mau manawa o kona nui ponoʻī, a ʻo ke kiko heheʻe he 1650C-1750 ℃. Hiki ke ʻike ʻia ke ʻano porous kūikawā ma lalo o ka microscope electron.

ʻO ka Diatomite i haku ʻia me ka SiO2 amorphous a loaʻa iā ia kahi liʻiliʻi o Fe2O3, CaO, MgO, Al2O3 a me nā haumia organik. ʻO ka Diatomite maʻamau he melemele māmā a hina māmā paha, palupalu, porous a māmā. Hoʻohana pinepine ʻia i ka ʻoihana e like me ka mea hoʻopaʻa wela, mea kānana, mea hoʻopihapiha, mea abrasive, mea maka aniani wai, mea hoʻohemo kala, mea kōkua kānana diatomite, mea lawe catalyst, a pēlā aku. ʻO ka ʻāpana nui o ka diatomite kūlohelohe ʻo SiO2. He keʻokeʻo ka diatomite kiʻekiʻe, a ʻoi aku ka nui o ka SiO2 ma mua o 70%. ʻAʻohe kala a moakāka nā diatoms Monomer. Pili ke kala o ka diatomite i nā minelala lepo a me nā mea organik, a pēlā aku. He ʻokoʻa ka haku mele ʻana o ka diatomite mai nā kumu minelala like ʻole.

ʻO ka Diatomite kahi ʻano waihona lepo hōʻiliʻili diatom fossil i hoʻokumu ʻia ma hope o ka make ʻana o kahi mea kanu cell hoʻokahi i kapa ʻia ʻo diatom ma hope o kahi manawa hōʻiliʻili o kahi 10000 a 20000 mau makahiki. ʻO Diatom kekahi o nā protozoa mua loa ma ka honua, e noho ana i ka wai kai a i ʻole ka wai o ka loko.

Hoʻokumu ʻia kēia diatomite ma o ka waiho ʻana o nā koena o ka diatom mea kanu wai hoʻokahi-celled. ʻO ka hana kūikawā o kēia diatom, hiki iā ia ke omo i ka silicon manuahi i loko o ka wai e hana i kona iwi. Ke pau kona ola, e waiho a hana i nā waihona diatomite ma lalo o kekahi mau kūlana geological. Loaʻa iā ia kekahi mau waiwai kūikawā, e like me ka porosity, ka haʻahaʻa o ka noʻonoʻo, ka nui o ka ʻili kikoʻī, ka incompressibility pili a me ke kūpaʻa kemika. Ma hope o ka hoʻololi ʻana i ka hoʻolaha ʻana o ka nui o nā ʻāpana a me nā waiwai o ka ʻili o ka lepo maka ma o ka wili ʻana, ka hoʻokaʻawale ʻana, ka calcination, ka hoʻokaʻawale ʻana o ke kahe ea, ka wehe ʻana i ka haumia a me nā kaʻina hana ʻē aʻe, hiki ke hoʻopili ʻia i nā koi ʻoihana like ʻole e like me nā mea hoʻohui pena.