Site Terms
Terms of Service
Please read these terms carefully before using LiveEarthquakeMap.com.
Terms of Service
Effective Date: May 9, 2026  ·  Last Updated: May 9, 2026
Please read these Terms of Service carefully before using LiveEarthquakeMap.com. By accessing or using this website you agree to be bound by these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

1 About This Site

LiveEarthquakeMap.com (“we”, “our”, “the Site”) is an independent earthquake monitoring and community reporting platform. We display real-time seismic data sourced from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and provide tools for visitors to submit voluntary felt earthquake reports.

The Site is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not an official government emergency service and should never be used as your primary source of information during an active emergency.

Important Disclaimer: Always follow official government emergency alerts and local authorities during seismic events. Do not rely solely on this Site for emergency decisions.

2 Acceptance of Terms

By using LiveEarthquakeMap.com you confirm that:

  • You are at least 13 years of age
  • You have read and understood these Terms of Service
  • You agree to comply with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws
  • You will not use the Site for any unlawful or prohibited purpose

We reserve the right to update these terms at any time. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

3 Accuracy of Earthquake Data

The earthquake data displayed on this Site is sourced from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and is provided as-is. We make no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of this data.

  • USGS data is fetched automatically and cached temporarily on our servers
  • We do not modify the underlying seismic data
  • Data may be delayed, incomplete, or subject to revision by USGS at any time
  • Magnitude, location, and depth values are preliminary until officially reviewed by USGS
For official, authoritative earthquake information visit earthquake.usgs.gov directly.

4 User-Submitted Felt Reports

The Site allows visitors to submit voluntary “Did You Feel It?” reports describing their experience of an earthquake. By submitting a report you agree to the following:

4a. Accuracy

  • Your report is accurate to the best of your knowledge
  • You will not submit false, misleading, or fabricated reports
  • You will not impersonate another person or submit reports on their behalf without consent

4b. Content Standards

  • Reports must relate to actual earthquake or seismic activity you personally experienced
  • Descriptions must not contain HTML, code, scripts, or markup of any kind
  • Reports must not contain profanity, hate speech, harassment, or illegal content
  • Reports must not contain spam, commercial advertising, or links to external sites

4c. Uploaded Media

  • You must own the photos and videos you upload, or have explicit permission from the owner to share them
  • By uploading media you grant LiveEarthquakeMap.com a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display that media on the Site
  • Uploaded media must not contain graphic violence, nudity, or illegal content
  • We accept JPG, PNG, WEBP images (max 5 MB each, up to 10 photos) and MP4/MOV videos (max 40 MB, 1 video per report)

4d. Moderation

All submitted reports are held in a pending queue and reviewed by an administrator before appearing publicly. We reserve the right to approve, reject, edit, or remove any submitted report or media at our sole discretion, without notice or explanation.

5 Intellectual Property

Our Content

The design, layout, graphics, code, and original written content of LiveEarthquakeMap.com are owned by LiveEarthquakeMap.com and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our content without written permission.

USGS Data

Earthquake data sourced from USGS is in the public domain as a product of the United States federal government. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program.

User-Submitted Content

You retain ownership of the content you submit. By submitting a report or uploading media you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, store, and use that content in connection with the operation of this Site. This license ends if your report is deleted.

6 Prohibited Uses

You agree not to use the Site to:

  • Submit false, fabricated, or deliberately misleading earthquake reports
  • Attempt to access, interfere with, or disrupt our servers, databases, or infrastructure
  • Scrape, harvest, or automatically collect data from the Site without permission
  • Use the Site to distribute malware, viruses, or harmful code
  • Impersonate any person, organization, or government agency
  • Engage in any activity that violates applicable laws or regulations
  • Use the Site in any way that could damage our reputation or the integrity of seismic data
Violation of these terms may result in your IP address being permanently blocked from the Site and, where applicable, referral to law enforcement.

7 Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

No Emergency Service

LiveEarthquakeMap.com is not an emergency service. Do not use this Site to report emergencies or seek emergency assistance. In an emergency always call your local emergency number (such as 911 in the United States).

No Warranty

The Site and all content are provided “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any information displayed is accurate or current.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, LiveEarthquakeMap.com shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Site, including but not limited to reliance on earthquake data displayed here.

Earthquake data is provided for informational and educational purposes only. Never make safety, evacuation, or emergency decisions based solely on information from this Site.

8 Privacy

Your use of the Site is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms of Service by reference. By using the Site you also agree to our Privacy Policy.

9 Third-Party Links and Services

The Site may contain links to third-party websites including USGS, and may embed content from external sources. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of those third-party sites. Links do not imply endorsement.

10 Termination and Access

We reserve the right to restrict, suspend, or terminate access to the Site for any user at any time, without notice, for any reason including violation of these Terms. We also reserve the right to discontinue, modify, or take the Site offline at any time.

11 Governing Law

These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States. Any disputes arising from your use of the Site will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the applicable courts. If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

12 Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Service at any time. When we make significant changes we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13 Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

LiveEarthquakeMap.com

Email: legal [at] liveearthquakemap.com

Website: https://www.liveearthquakemap.com