FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Everything you need to know about Diatomaceous Earth and Diatomite Australia products
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is a 100% natural mineral formed over millions of years from the fossilised remains of microscopic aquatic algae called diatoms. These tiny organisms lived in ancient freshwater lakes and their intricate silica shells accumulated into the remarkable powdery mineral we mine today in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Diatomaceous Earth goes by many names around the world depending on the country, industry, and application. They all refer to the same remarkable natural mineral — the fossilised skeletal remains of microscopic aquatic algae called diatoms.
ENGLISH & SCIENTIFIC NAMES
– Diatomaceous Earth — the most widely used English name
– DE — the common abbreviation used worldwide
– D.E. — alternate abbreviation
– Diatomite — technically the lithified (rock) form of DE, widely used interchangeably
– Kieselgur — the original German term, widely used in English scientific literature (also spelled Kieselguhr)
– Kieselguhr — alternate German spelling, used extensively in European scientific and industrial contexts
– Infusorial Earth — an early scientific name referring to the infusoria (microscopic organisms) found in DE deposits
– Fossil Shell Flour — a common trade name, particularly in the food grade and health supplement market
– Dinosaur Dust — an informal trade name used in some retail markets
– Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) — the chemical name for the main component of DE
– Amorphous Silica — the scientific classification distinguishing natural DE from hazardous crystalline silica
– Biogenic Amorphous Silica — the most precise scientific term, indicating the silica was formed by living organisms
– Opal Silica — a mineralogical term referring to the hydrated amorphous silica (SiO2·nH2O) structure of diatom shells
– Hydrated Silica — used in cosmetic and personal care industry contexts
– Diatomaceous Silica — a formal scientific and regulatory term
– Diatomaceous Sediment — a geological classification term
– Siliceous Earth — a broader mineralogical classification
– Fuller’s Earth — sometimes used loosely, though technically a different mineral (montmorillonite clay)
– D Earth — informal abbreviation used in some retail and agricultural markets
– D Powder — another informal retail abbreviation
INTERNATIONAL NAMES BY COUNTRY & LANGUAGE
– German — Kieselgur / Kieselguhr / Diatomeenerde
– French — Terre de diatomées / Terre diatomée / Diatomite
– Spanish — Tierra de diatomeas / Diatomita / Tierra silícea
– Italian — Terra di diatomee / Diatomite / Farina fossile
– Portuguese — Terra de diatomáceas / Diatomita / Terra fóssil
– Dutch — Kiezelgoer / Diatomeeënaarde
– Russian — Диатомит (Diatomit) / Кизельгур (Kieselgur) / Инфузорная земля (Infusornaya zemlya)
– Arabic — حجر الدياتوم (Hajar al-diyatom) / تراب الدياتوم (Turab al-diyatom) / الأرض الدياتومية
– Japanese — 珪藻土 (Keisōdo) — literally “silica algae soil”
– Chinese (Simplified) — 硅藻土 (Guīzǎo tǔ) — literally “silicon algae earth”
– Chinese (Traditional) — 矽藻土 (Xīzǎo tǔ)
– Korean — 규조토 (Gyujo-to)
– Hindi — डायटोमेशियस अर्थ (Diatomaceous Earth) / सिलिशियस अर्थ
– Indonesian/Malay — Tanah diatom / Diatomit / Bumi diatom
– Turkish — Diyatomit / Diyatomlu toprak / Kizelgur
– Polish — Ziemia okrzemkowa / Diatomit / Kiezelgur
– Greek — Διατομίτης (Diatomitis) / Κισσηρόγη
– Swedish — Kiselgur / Diatomit / Kiselgurjord
– Danish/Norwegian — Kiselgur / Diatomit
– Finnish — Piimaa / Diatomit — “piimaa” literally means “silica earth”
– Hungarian — Kovafölde / Diatomit / Kovaföld
– Czech/Slovak — Křemelina / Diatomit
– Romanian — Diatomit / Pământ de diatomee
– Vietnamese — Đất tảo cát / Đất diatomit
– Thai — ดินไดอะตอม (Din Diatomaceous)
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