Cookie Policy

Cookies are small pieces of text that websites store on your device to remember information about your visit. Some are set by this site directly (first-party cookies); some are set by third-party services we embed, such as analytics or advertising providers (third-party cookies). Cookies can also be distinguished by lifetime: session cookies are deleted when you close your browser, while persistent cookies remain for a set period.

Similar technologies — local storage, session storage, and web beacons — are covered by this policy where they serve the same purposes as cookies.

We group cookies into four categories, listed in increasing order of how much they can be opted out of without breaking the site. Analytics and advertising cookies are governed by a consent banner using Google Consent Mode v2: everything defaults to denied, a cookie is set only after you opt in, and withdrawing consent deletes the cookies it set.

2.1 Strictly necessary

These cookies are required for basic site functionality. Examples include a session identifier needed to keep you logged into any area (if we add account features), or a short-lived cookie that remembers whether you dismissed a banner. We do not currently set any user-tracking cookie in this category; the only strictly necessary storage we use is browser-side local storage for remembering your last-viewed location or preferred map zoom. Strictly necessary cookies cannot be disabled without breaking the feature they support, but because we use so few, disabling them has minimal impact.

2.2 Preferences

If you choose to save a preferred default map view, magnitude filter threshold, or display mode, that preference is saved in your browser's local storage. This data never leaves your device. You can clear it at any time via your browser's "clear site data" option.

2.3 Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand, in aggregate, how readers use the site — which pages are most read, where visitors come from, and which features get used. GA4 loads only if you opt in via our consent banner (Google Consent Mode v2, with all storage denied by default); if you reject — or your browser sends a GPC or Do Not Track signal — GA4 is never loaded and no analytics cookies are set. The GA4 cookies are listed in the table below. IP anonymization is enabled and we do not combine analytics data with personally identifying information.

2.4 Advertising

We do not currently display any advertising, and no ad or ad-measurement code is loaded on the site. If we add an advertising network in the future, ads and any advertising cookies will load only after you opt in via the consent banner, and we will update this policy and the table below before any advertising cookie is set.

You have several layers of control over cookies and similar technologies.

4.1 Browser-level controls

Every major browser lets you view, delete, and block cookies. The controls are in the settings panel; search for "privacy" or "cookies". The following links go to the vendors' own instructions:

• Google Chrome cookie controls
• Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection
• Safari on iPhone / iPad
• Safari on Mac
• Microsoft Edge

4.2 Ad-network-level controls

If you want to opt out of personalized advertising without blocking all cookies, the major industry opt-out portals cover many ad networks at once:

• YourOnlineChoices.eu (European users)
• Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) opt-out (U.S. users)
• Network Advertising Initiative opt-out
• Google Ad Settings for opting out of Google-personalized ads specifically.

4.3 Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control (GPC) or a Do Not Track (DNT) signal, we treat it as a standing opt-out: analytics and advertising consent default to denied, the consent banner is not shown, and no analytics or advertising cookies are set. This aligns with California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) guidance that GPC be honored as an opt-out of sale or sharing.

4.4 Consequences of opting out

The site remains fully functional if you block all non-strictly-necessary cookies. You may see less relevant ads (once ads are present) and we will have less aggregated information about how the site is used, but no feature will break.

We may update this cookie policy when we add a new analytics service, a new ad partner, or a new product feature that sets a cookie. When we do, we update the table in section 3 and bump the revision date below. Material changes are also reflected in the privacy policy.