The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online defines "Aliquot" as "contained an exact number of times in something else - used of a divisor or part". Okay... it was a divisor of land. That seems to make sense. But what exactly does "SW1/4 NW 1/4" mean?
Instead of just "aliquot in my google search, I added the words "land description". This led to an article on the "PLSS" or Public Land Survey System which is defined as a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States. According to the http://nationalatlas.gov website,, the PLSS typically divides land in to 6 mil square townships. Each township is subdivided in 36 one mile square sections. The sections are further subdivided into quarter sections and quarter-quarters sections. It was the subdivision of sections which is called aliquots.
So "SW1/4 NW 1/4" is a subdivision of a section. But was part of the section? I delved further. The best description I found was on Ehow read-land-property-description. It suggested taking a piece of paper, drawing a square, dividing that square in four and then dividing those squares into four. Then proceeds to describe how to label each square. It ends up looking something like this.
I have color coded each major quadrant and then labelled the minor quadrants. Now where exactly is "SW1/4NW1/4"? It is easier to understand if we translate the aliquots into "SouthWest Quarter of the Northwest Quarter" which according to several websites is the meaning of the shorthand. I need to start with the "of the Northwest Quarter" first because the words in front of the "of the " are a portion of the last part.
In this case, the NW Quarter is yellow. Now to locate the SW Quarter of the yellow section. I found it!!!
But what if it says E1/2SE1/4? First I will translate it to full words - the East Half of the Southeast Quarter. Find the SE Quarter which is blue in my diagram. The East Half would the parts marked NE and SE.
Sometimes it really does help to write it all down!
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