Although it is mined from the ground, diatomaceous earth (DE) is not an earth, but fossilized deposits of microscopic shells that were created by single one-celled plants called "diatoms".

Millions of years ago, in all the waters of the earth, these microscopic one-celled diatoms took the minerals from the waters and created protective shells for themselves, and once lived in quantities far beyond the mind's ability to conceive, and as they died their shells drifted to the bottom of the sea beds as tiny pieces of porous sand. In this manner, vast deposits of diatom shells were laid down where geologic changes put these deposits on dry land, making them accessible to mankind.

"In order to survive this widespread perdition and maintain their numbers, diatoms reproduce at a phenomenal rate, each capable of dividing every 18 to 36 hours. This asexual reproduction is accomplished simply by splitting in half, each part taking with it an equal portion of protoplasm (Le. genetic material). Once separated, the young diatom secretes a new half shell that fits securely inside the old one. By this method of reproduction they can increase their numbers by 10,000-fold in only a fortnight. Diatomaceous Earth is a direct result of the diatom's prolific past.

Sometimes called the grasses of the sea, they are the main fodder for the little vegetarian animals, such as copepods and shrimp-like krill, which make up the zooplankton community. These are typically consumed by small fish such as herring, which in turn become food for larger species. In all water, tiny one-celled plants or plankton live by the billions of billions of billions, and they are the basic food of the water dwelling animals. Even the great whales could not survive without the diatoms.

It requires several hundred billion diatoms to feed a humpback whale for just a few hours. Marine biologists estimate that it takes half a ton of diatoms to make a pound of seal. A pound of killer whale, a predator of seals, would require five tons of diatoms. Even the diatoms' own food is of great importance to mankind. The food reserves that they produce through photosynthesis are stored within their cells as minute globules of oil. As ancient diatoms died, they were buried by trillions beneath the sea. Geologic and biologic forces caused the globules to coalesce into pools that became petroleum.

Diatoms were discovered in 1702 by the early pioneer of microscopy, Anton Van Leeuwenhoek, who thought they were tiny animals. Not until the 19th century did biologists conclude that, since these organisms perform photosynthesis, they are plants. Some thirty million square kilometers of the northern Pacific and Antarctic Sea bottoms are buried beneath mantles of dead diatoms. Over the eons, as oceans rise and continents shift, this ooze fossilizes into rich deposits of diatomaceous earth or diatomite.

There are more than 25,000 species of diatoms and only two primary types of diatomaceous earth deposits. Not all diatoms are aquatic; some exist in moist conditions. Some live in topsoil, or attached to moss, tree trunks, or even brick walls, and can endure lengthy droughts. Diatoms vary widely in size and shape but the very largest measure only a millimeter across. Diatoms are the most abundant kind of phytoplankton, and colder oceans support the greatest numbers. Some dwell near the seabed, and will even burrow into the mud. Most float near the surface, however, to absorb sunlight.

"Plankton - derived from the Greek word planktos, meaning 'that which is made to wander' - includes all organisms, plant and animal that are too small to control their movement over long distances and are therefore transported by currents. These organisms are divided into two groups: the animals, or zooplankton and the plants called phytoplankton. The later group is equipped with organelles, known as chloroplast, which contain the green pigment chlorophyll. This allows them to photosynthesize, taking the first step in a long and complex food chain that ultimately ends with man. In fact, they perform 80% of all photosynthesis and are the main replenishers of the earth's oxygen. The largest component of this group is a delicate-shelled creature called the diatom.

There are bobbers, drifting near the surface; basking in sunlight and letting nutrients come to them and then there are diatoms that live in freshwater streams, swamps, or ditches, or on the bottoms of shallow regions of oceans. Marine biologists have found that just after the tide goes out the diatoms glide to the surface for a sunbath, turning the sand flats a golden brown. Remarkably, the diatoms know precisely when to burrow back into the sand. They retreat moments before the return of the tide, which could wash them out to sea. Even after weeks in a laboratory, under constant light, they continue to dig in and out of the sand with such accurate timing that we can use them as tide tables.

The diatoms' most impressive skills are as shell builders, they are alchemists, changing dissolved silicon into a silica almost identical to the gemstone opal. The glassy shells are of incredibly varied and beautiful architecture; some are riddled with pores, which both lighten the structure and permit the intake of nutrients and the exchange of gases. In their teeming trillions, diatoms produce oxygen far in excess of their own needs, making an enormous contribution to our atmosphere.

There are over 1,500 species of diatoms known and each has a distinctly different skeleton - from pill box - shaped cylinders to flattened disk. The surface of the shells is decorated with fine grooves, pits and pores that create intricate and delicate designs. Their exact composition will vary, depending on what mineral concentrations are in the waters where they are formed. In general, most samples will contain the following elements: silica, sodium, boron, strontium, vanadium, gallium, titanium, aluminum, manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium, copper and zirconium. All these minerals, as well as the diatom's living protoplasm, serve as the fuel for many higher forms of life, from protozoan to humans."

As the millennia wore on, billions of these aquatic creatures died and their shells formed mammoth deposits, some up to 700 feet thick. Layer upon layer of sediment was laid down, the primal waters came and went, but the tiny shells remained. It is this process of fossilization which partially determines a key feature of Fossil Shell Flour, namely its natural crystalline silica content."

Through the history of man's existence, a wide variety of valuable uses have been found for what has come to be called "diatomaceous earth." There are now more than 1,500 ways in which man benefits from this incredible material left by diatoms. They also play a vital role in the food chain. There is probably more available organic matter in other words food contained in diatomaceous earth than any other living thing!

"There are two primary types of diatomaceous earth: salt water and fresh water. The purity of fresh water diatomaceous earth deposits is exceptional. Fresh water deposits are so pure that the Food and Drug Administration has given it a food-grade designation."