Soil Survey Reports and Legal Land Descriptions

1
Soil Survey Reports andLegal Land Descriptions
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Objectives

• Identify and define range and township lines,
  townships, and sections.
• Identify specific land locations from a legal
  land description.
• Determine acreages from legal land descriptions.
• Analyze a soil survey map for specific
  information.

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Key Terms

• Range lines
• Township lines
• Section, half-section, quarter-section
• Soil survey map

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Reading a Map
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Numbering Sections Within Township
Townships are divided into 36 one-mile-square
sections.
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36 Sections Make Up One Township

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Dividing Sections into Smaller Tracts

N 1/2 SW 1/4 SW 1/4
SW 1/4 SW 1/4 SW 1/4
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Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions
E
D
F
A
C
B
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Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions
S ½, SE ¼, Sec. 13 80 acres
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Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions
SE ¼, NW ¼, Sec. 13 40 acres
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Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions
S ½, N ½, SW ¼, Sec. 13 40 acres
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Determining Acreages from Legal Land Descriptions
N ½ and SW ¼, Sec. 13 480 acres
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Town 3 South
Range 23 West
1
2
3
10
11
12
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Legal Land Descriptions

• A N1/2, Sec 2, R23W, T3S
• B SW1/4, NW1/4, Sec 12, R23W, T3S
• C S1/2 Sec 3 and N1/2, N1/2, Sec 10, R23W, T3S
• D N1/2, SE1/4, NE1/4 Sec 11, R23W, T3S

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Town 3 South
Range 23 West
1
2
3
A
C
10
11
12
B
D