THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA 151 
 
 Diatomite.—Diatomite production was 7 percent below that of 1966,
yet three producers in the Lompoc-Santa Maria area, Santa Barbara County,
yielded more than 50 percent of the national output. JohnsManville Products
Corp. was the major producer, followed by GREFCO, Inc., and The Airox Co.
Airox was the only producer reporting crude sales. In Napa County, Basalt
Rock Co., Inc., processed diatomaceous silica for pozzolan. Cherokee-Lassenite,
Inc., stockpiled diatomite to be processed for pozzolan in its Lassen County
plant near Hallelujah Junction. A small quantity of diatomite from the Castella
deposit, Shasta County, was used in the construction of swimming pools. The
Keystone property of Pacific Clay Products Co., Tuolumne County, was idle
in 1967. Crude sales declined 44 percent and prepared sales were down 6 percent
from 1966 levels. Prepared sales, in order of greatest demand, were for filtration,
filler, pozzolan, insulation, lightweight aggregate, and absorbents. 
 
 Feldspar.—The tonnage of marketable feldspar sold and used was 6 percent
below that in 1966 but the value was 6 percent higher. Del Monte Properties
Co. and Owens-Illinois Glass Co. mined and processed feldspathic dune sands
of the Monterey peninsula near Pacific Grove. Both companies removed heavy
minerals from the sand, Del Monte by froth flotation and Owens-Illinois by
magnetic separation. Owens-Illinois shipped its plant product to company
glass plants. Del Monte sold sand to the glass industry and also produced
feldspar and silica concentrates by flotation, and blended and ground them
to customer specifications, principally for manufacturing sanitary ware and
fiberglass. 
 
 Gypsum.—Crude gypsum production rose 3 percent above the 1966 figure
because of increased demand for agricultural use. In 1967, gypsum mining
for use in plaster and board products was limited to the Fish Creek deposit
of United States Gypsum Co., Imperial County. The output was consumed in
the producer's Plaster City gypsum products plant. U.S. Gypsum's Midland
mine and plant, Riverside County, was idle throughout the year and put on
a standby basis. Underground workings were sealed off and some plant equipment
dismantled. 
 Late in the year Fibreboard Corp. sold its idle Southgate plant, Los Angeles
County, to Johns-Manville Products Corp. along with other mine and plant
facilities. in Nevada and Colorado but retained the gypsum products plant
at Newark, Alameda County. Seven plants were active in 1967, one in Imperial
County and two each in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Los Angeles Counties. 
 About 585,000 tons of calcined gypsum was produced, 15 percent less than
in 1966 and the smallest quantity in more than 10 years. Consumption of agricultural
gypsum was nearly 1.2 million tons, including crude gypsum mined and byproduct
gypsum from magnesia and phosphoric acid plants, more than half of which
came from Kern County mines. Producers of portland cement consumed 360,000
tons of crude and byproduct gypsum in 1967. 
 
 Iodine.—No crude iodine was produced in 1967. The Dow Chemical Co.,
which ceased production in 1966, continued to make potassium and titanium
iodates in its Seal Beach plant, Orange County, until April at which time
the facilities were shut down. 
 At Compton, Los Angeles County, Deepwater Chemical Co. purchased foreign
crude iodine and produced various iodlldes and iodates. Some crude iodine
was resublimed for resale. 
 
 Lime.—Lime and dead-burned dolomite production decreased over 2 percent.
The decline was attributed to lower consumption at magnesia, water purification,
and masonry plants, and at sugar refineries. Greater consumption was reported
for soil stabilization, insecticide manufacture, and ore processing. Producer
consumption was 330,000 tons and sales totaled 209,000 ton. California consumers
received 225,000 tons of lime from out-of-State plants, 17,000 tons more
than in 1966. Total consumption of primary lime was about 740,000 tons, down
more than 2,000 tons from 
1966. 
 The Flintkote Co. planned construction of a lime hydrating facility in Los
Angeles County similar to one established by the company in 1966 at Richmond,
Contra Costa County. 
 
 Lithium Compounds.—American Potash & Chemical Corp., division
of Kerr-McGee Corp., recovered dilithium sodium phos