Terms of Service
Last updated: October 2026
1. Basic Agreement
By visiting or using https://tectonicplatemap.org/, you agree to these simple terms. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the site.
2. Feel free to use this for learning and school
We built this platform for education and research. You are welcome to use it in your classroom, include screenshots in school reports, use it in lectures, or share it with friends. Just link back or mention TectonicPlateMap.org as the source.
3. Important safety notice: Not for emergency evacuation
Please note:
While our earthquake markers come straight from the USGS, this website is an educational viewer, not a real-time early warning or life-saving dispatch system. If an earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption happens near you, always listen to your local emergency management agencies and official government civil defense alerts.
4. Science credits and open data
The scientific datasets visualized here belong to the researchers and institutions who gathered them:
- Plate Boundaries: Dr. Peter Bird (PB2002) open research model.
- Earthquake Seismology: United States Geological Survey public feeds.
- Volcano Catalog: Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program.
5. What not to do
Please be cool: do not launch automated attacks on the site, do not spam or overload the public map tile servers, and do not present this map as an official government alert system.
6. Disclaimer
This site is provided as-is without warranties. While we try to make every boundary and earthquake feed as accurate and up to date as possible, plate boundaries on a digital map are general models and should not be treated as legal boundary surveys.
7. Questions?
If you have questions about licensing or anything else, reach out to us: