Quarter Section

A quarter section is a 160-acre subdivision of a PLSS section, identified by its compass direction within the section: Northeast (NE/4), Northwest (NW/4), Southeast (SE/4), or Southwest (SW/4). Quarter sections are commonly used in mining claim legal descriptions.

Quarter section characteristics: - Nominal size: 160 acres (half mile by half mile) - Bounded by lines connecting opposite quarter corners through the center of section - Four quarter sections in each section - Identified by compass direction (NE/4, NW/4, SE/4, SW/4)

Further subdivision: Quarter sections can be subdivided into quarter-quarter sections (40 acres): - NE/4 of NW/4 (40 acres) - SE/4 of NE/4 (40 acres) - And so on, to any level of subdivision

Historical significance: - The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed settlers to claim 160 acres (one quarter section) - The Pre-emption Act allowed purchase of 160 acres - Quarter sections became a standard unit for land transactions

Mining claim applications: - Placer claims are commonly described using aliquot parts of sections - An individual placer claim can be up to 20 acres (half of a quarter-quarter section) - An association placer claim can be up to 160 acres (one quarter section) - Legal descriptions for mining claims commonly reference quarter sections

Reading quarter section descriptions: Descriptions are read from smallest to largest: - "NE/4 of SW/4 of Section 10" = the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 10 (40 acres)