Underwater Plants From Drained Lochs
Loch Cuithir, on the Island of Syke, Scotland, is to be drained so that millions of fossilised underwater plants, can be used to start a new British industry. It is believed that the loch bed contains 250,000 tons of diatome, used in the production of explosives, plastics, paint and cosmetics. A diatome is a microscopic plant with a silicified cell wall, which persists as a skeleton after the death of the organism. Diatome have been growing on the bed of Loch Cuithir for millions of years, and the “skeletons” are now thought to be hundreds of feet deep. i A search is being made for deposits of diatome in other Scottish lochs.
In the past, Britain has had to import diatome from Europe at £lB to £lB a ton, plus some supplies from America. If the Loch Cuithir deposits come up to expectations, Britain will be able to export diatome herself.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BPB19490411.2.23
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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 76, 11 April 1949, Page 5
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156Underwater Plants From Drained Lochs Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 76, 11 April 1949, Page 5
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