Geology, Mining and Processing of Diatomite at Lompoc, Santa Barabara County, California

THE largest and purest known deposit of diatomite is being actively mined and processed 3 ½ miles south of Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, Calif., by the Johns-Manville Products Corporation. The workings FIG. 1.-LOCATION OF DIATOMITE DEPOSIT AT LOMPOC. cover 4000 acres, the depth of economically recoverable diatomite being 1000 ft. (Fig. 1). Lompoc, a community of 2500 population, is situated in the Santa Ynez River Valley 10 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. It is 44 miles