Privacy policy
This policy explains what information is collected when you use platetectonicsmap.com, how it is used, which third parties are involved and the choices you have.
Last updated October 26, 2026
Summary
- You can use the whole site without an account and without giving us any personal information.
- Location tools (Find my plate and the aurora check) run in your browser. Your coordinates are never sent to us.
- The site may show ads from Google AdSense. Google and its partners may use cookies to show and measure those ads, and you can turn off personalized ads at any time.
- We do not sell personal information.
- We use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages are useful. It sets cookies, which you can block or opt out of.
Who we are
This website, platetectonicsmap.com ("Plate Tectonics Map", "we", "us"), is a free educational atlas of Earth's tectonic plates. For any question about this policy or your personal data, email us at hello@platetectonicsmap.com.
Information we collect
Information sent automatically by your browser
Like every website, our hosting provider, Cloudflare, receives standard technical information when your browser requests a page: your IP address, browser type, operating system, the page requested, the referring page and the time of the request. Cloudflare uses this data to deliver pages, keep the site secure and protect it from abuse, as described in Cloudflare's privacy policy. We may view aggregated, anonymous statistics such as page views per country; these do not identify you.
Information you choose to send us
If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you include in the message. We use it only to reply and to fix the issue you report.
Your location
The Find my plate tool and the aurora "Can I see it?" button ask your browser for your location only when you press the button. The calculation runs entirely on your device; your coordinates are not sent to us and are not stored.
Settings stored on your device
If you switch between light and dark mode, the choice is saved in your browser's local storage so the site remembers it on your next visit. It never leaves your device, and you can clear it at any time by clearing site data in your browser.
Cookies and advertising
Cookies are small text files that a website or service stores in your browser. Our own pages do not need cookies to work. However, this site may display advertising served by Google AdSense, and Google and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to serve, personalize and measure those ads.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
- You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising at www.aboutads.info and, in Europe, www.youronlinechoices.eu.
- If you opt out, you will still see ads, but they will not be based on your browsing history.
Learn more about how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. Where the law requires it, for example for visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, we ask for your consent before personalized advertising cookies are used, and you can change your choice at any time.
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking cookies does not stop the site from working.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4, a service of Google, to count visits and understand which pages and tools are used, so we can improve the site. Google Analytics uses cookies (named _ga and _ga_*) and collects information such as the pages you view, how long you stay, the page that sent you here, your device and browser type and your approximate location (country and city), which Google derives from your IP address. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. We see this information only as aggregate reports, and it is kept for no longer than 14 months.
For visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, analytics cookies are set only after you give consent. You can opt out of Google Analytics on every website with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, or by blocking cookies in your browser.
Live data from third parties
When you open a live map, your browser downloads public data directly from the organization that publishes it: the US Geological Survey (earthquakes), NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (aurora) and GDACS (tropical storms). Those services receive a normal web request from your browser, including your IP address, and handle it under their own privacy policies. Links to other websites are provided for convenience; we are not responsible for their privacy practices.
How we use information
We use the limited information described above to deliver and secure the website, to understand which pages are useful in aggregate, to reply to messages and to show advertising that keeps the site free. Our legal bases under the GDPR are our legitimate interest in running a secure and useful website, your consent where it is required for advertising cookies, and the steps needed to answer your request when you contact us.
Sharing and selling
We do not sell or rent personal information. Information is shared only with the service providers described in this policy (Cloudflare for hosting and Google for analytics and advertising), or when the law requires it.
How long we keep data
Emails are kept only as long as needed to handle your request and are then deleted. Server logs and advertising data are kept by Cloudflare and Google according to their own retention policies. Analytics data is kept for up to 14 months.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete personal information we hold about you, to object to or restrict its use, to withdraw consent and to complain to your data protection authority. Residents of California and other US states may also have the right to know what personal information is collected and to opt out of its "sale" or "sharing" for targeted advertising; you can do this through Google Ads Settings and the opt-out links above. To make a request, email hello@platetectonicsmap.com. We will answer within the time the law requires.
Children's privacy
The site is made for learners of all ages, but we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country). If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Security
The site is served only over encrypted HTTPS connections. Because we collect so little, there is very little personal data that could be exposed.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle information, for example by adding a new analytics or advertising provider, we will update this page first and change the date at the top.
Contact
Questions about this policy: hello@platetectonicsmap.com, or use the contact page.