Diatomaceous earth ke mofuta oa lefika la siliceous sedimentary la biogenic, haholo-holo le entsoeng ka masalla a diatom tsa khale. Sebopeho sa lona sa lik'hemik'hale haholo-holo ke SiO2, e nang le karolo e nyane ea Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, MgO, K2O, Na2O, P2O5 le lintho tse phelang. Tšebeliso e ka sehloohong ea diatomite ke lithuso tsa ho sefa, li-filler, li-adsorbents, li-catalytic carriers, thepa ea kaho e sireletsang tikoloho le tse ling.