Legal Disclaimer and Terms of Use

This website, including all earthquake predictions, forecasts, probability assessments, maps, data, analyses, research materials, notifications and other information published through Seismikon.com (collectively, the “Service”), is provided by Seismikon for research, informational and educational purposes only.

By accessing or using this website, and in particular by accessing any earthquake prediction or forecast, you acknowledge and agree to the following terms.

1. Experimental earthquake predictions

Seismikon develops and publishes experimental methods intended to identify patterns that may be associated with future seismic activity.

Earthquake prediction is inherently uncertain. Seismikon predictions may be inaccurate, incomplete, premature, late, incorrectly located, incorrectly estimated in magnitude, or entirely wrong. An earthquake predicted by Seismikon may not occur at all, and an earthquake may occur without having been predicted by Seismikon.

Past performance, historical testing, reported accuracy rates or previous successful predictions do not guarantee that any current or future prediction will be correct.

No prediction, probability, confidence level, accuracy statistic or other information published by Seismikon should be interpreted as a guarantee that an earthquake will or will not occur.

2. Not an official warning or emergency service

Seismikon is not an emergency warning service, governmental authority or public-safety agency.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Seismikon is not affiliated with, endorsed by, approved by or acting on behalf of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), FEMA, ShakeAlert, the State of California, any emergency-management authority, university, government agency or other public authority.

Seismikon predictions must not be confused with official earthquake alerts, earthquake early-warning systems, evacuation orders or emergency instructions.

In the event of an earthquake, suspected earthquake or other emergency, always follow instructions and information provided by competent governmental authorities, emergency services and recognized official warning systems.

Do not delay taking appropriate emergency action because Seismikon has not issued a prediction.

3. Decisions based on predictions, including evacuation, panic and financial losses

You are solely responsible for deciding what action, if any, to take after viewing a Seismikon prediction.

A Seismikon prediction should not, by itself, be used as the basis for evacuation, closure of a business, cancellation of travel, cancellation of an event, interruption of operations, movement of people or property, financial transactions, investment decisions, school closures or any other significant personal, commercial or public-safety decision.

You expressly acknowledge that acting upon an earthquake prediction can itself create costs, disruption and risks, particularly if the predicted earthquake does not occur.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Seismikon and its founders, owners, directors, officers, employees, researchers, contractors, contributors and partners shall not be liable for losses, expenses, damages or claims arising from actions taken or not taken in reliance on information published through the Service.

This includes, without limitation, costs or losses resulting from:

• evacuation or relocation;
• travel, accommodation or transportation;
• cancelled flights, bookings, events or appointments;
• closure or interruption of a business or workplace;
• lost income, lost revenue, lost profits or lost business opportunities;
• school or institutional closures;
• movement, protection or storage of property or equipment;
• interruption of manufacturing, logistics or other operations;
• emergency preparations or precautionary measures;
• changes to investments, insurance, contracts or commercial decisions;
• reputational damage;
• emotional distress, anxiety, fear or panic;
• actions taken by employees, customers, members of the public or third parties;
• dissemination, republication or interpretation of a Seismikon prediction by third parties; or
• any other direct or indirect economic consequence arising from a prediction, whether the prediction proves correct or incorrect.

You should therefore never incur significant costs, create public alarm or take substantial action solely because Seismikon has published a prediction.

Where a significant decision is being considered, information from Seismikon should be assessed alongside official information and, where appropriate, advice from qualified seismic, engineering, emergency-management or other relevant professionals.

4. Risk of panic and public dissemination

Earthquake information can cause fear or concern when presented without appropriate context.

Users, journalists, media organizations, social-media users and other third parties who choose to reproduce, publish, discuss or distribute Seismikon predictions are responsible for the manner in which they communicate that information.

Seismikon predictions must not be represented as certain, guaranteed or official emergency warnings.

Seismikon accepts no responsibility, to the fullest extent permitted by law, for panic, public reaction, economic disruption or other consequences caused by the republication, misrepresentation, exaggeration or interpretation of information obtained from Seismikon.

5. No guarantee of accuracy

Seismikon attempts to present its research, calculations, historical results and predictions accurately. However, errors may occur.

Information may contain technical errors, software errors, incorrect data, incorrect calculations, outdated information, transmission errors, typographical errors or errors originating from third-party data sources.

Data used by Seismikon may also subsequently be corrected or revised by the organizations that originally collected or published it.

Seismikon makes no representation or warranty that any information provided through the Service is complete, current, accurate, reliable or suitable for any particular purpose.

6. Methodology and scientific uncertainty

Seismikon's methodology may involve experimental, developing or disputed scientific concepts.

Publication by Seismikon does not mean that a methodology, model, conclusion or prediction has been accepted by the wider scientific community.

Where Seismikon refers to research papers, peer review, historical testing, statistical results or scientific evidence, such references should not be interpreted as demonstrating that earthquake prediction in general—or any particular Seismikon prediction—has been scientifically established as reliable.

Scientific methods, datasets, algorithms and interpretations may change as new information becomes available.

7. Historical accuracy and performance claims

Where Seismikon publishes historical performance, accuracy statistics, successful predictions, retrospective analyses or similar results, those figures relate to the methodology, dataset, definitions and evaluation criteria described in the relevant material.

Historical results are not a guarantee of future performance.

Different definitions of a successful prediction, geographic area, time window, earthquake magnitude, dataset or statistical methodology can produce different accuracy measurements.

Users should review the methodology and assumptions behind any performance figure before drawing conclusions from it.

8. No professional advice

Nothing published through Seismikon constitutes professional seismic, geological, engineering, structural, emergency-management, financial, insurance, legal, medical or other professional advice.

Information provided on this website is general in nature and cannot take into account the circumstances of a particular person, building, location, organization or situation.

You should obtain appropriate professional advice where decisions could materially affect health, safety, property, finances or business operations.

9. No duty to issue or update predictions

Seismikon does not undertake any obligation to continuously monitor seismic conditions or to publish a prediction whenever a potential earthquake is identified.

Seismikon may issue, modify, update, withdraw or remove predictions at any time.

There is no guarantee that the Service will be available, that predictions will be published within any particular timeframe, or that users will receive or see information before an earthquake occurs.

A failure by Seismikon to issue a prediction must never be interpreted as an indication that an earthquake will not occur.

10. Third-party information and external links

The Service may contain information obtained from third-party datasets, websites, publications, researchers or other sources and may contain links to external websites.

Seismikon does not control all such third-party information and cannot guarantee its accuracy, completeness, availability or continued existence.

Links or references to third parties do not necessarily constitute endorsement of those organizations, their views, products, services or conclusions.

Seismikon accepts no responsibility for the content, availability, privacy practices or actions of third-party websites or services.

11. Availability and technical failures

The Service is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

Seismikon does not guarantee uninterrupted operation of the website, prediction systems, databases, communications systems, email notifications or other technical infrastructure.

Predictions or other information may be delayed, unavailable, corrupted, incorrectly displayed or lost because of software failures, network failures, hosting failures, cyberattacks, maintenance, third-party outages or other technical circumstances.

Users must not rely on Seismikon as their sole source of earthquake or emergency information.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Seismikon and its founders, owners, directors, officers, employees, researchers, contractors, contributors, licensors and partners shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary or punitive damages arising from or connected with:

• use of or inability to use the Service;
• reliance on any prediction or other information;
• an incorrect prediction;
• a missed earthquake or failure to issue a prediction;
• differences between predicted and actual time, location or magnitude;
• actions taken in preparation for a predicted earthquake;
• failure to take action;
• public reaction or panic;
• business interruption or financial loss;
• loss or damage to property;
• personal decisions made on the basis of the Service; or
• information communicated or republished by third parties.

These limitations apply whether the alleged liability arises in contract, tort, negligence, statutory duty or otherwise, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Nothing in this disclaimer excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable law.

13. User responsibility

By using the Service, you acknowledge that earthquakes are inherently dangerous and uncertain natural events and that decisions concerning personal safety remain your responsibility.

You agree to exercise independent judgment and to consult official emergency-management information where appropriate.

You further acknowledge that Seismikon cannot know your personal circumstances, physical location, building condition, vulnerability, financial situation or other factors necessary to determine what action is appropriate for you.

14. Intellectual property

Unless otherwise stated, the content, branding, software, graphics, analyses, methodology descriptions and other original materials published on Seismikon.com are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

You may link to publicly accessible Seismikon pages and quote reasonable extracts for legitimate informational, academic or journalistic purposes, provided that Seismikon is properly attributed and the information is not materially misrepresented.

Nothing may be presented in a way that falsely suggests endorsement, partnership or official authorization by Seismikon.

15. Changes to the Service and this disclaimer

Seismikon may modify the Service, its methodology, its prediction criteria and this disclaimer from time to time.

The current version published on Seismikon.com applies from the date shown at the top of this page.

Continued use of the Service after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the revised terms to the extent permitted by applicable law.

16. Severability

If any provision of this disclaimer is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, that provision shall be interpreted or limited to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable where possible.

The remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

17. Governing law and jurisdiction

The governing law and jurisdiction applicable to these terms shall be determined by the legal entity operating Seismikon and any mandatory consumer or other statutory protections that apply to the individual user.

[This section should be completed with the registered legal entity, governing law, registered address and agreed jurisdiction before publication.]

18. Acceptance

By accessing Seismikon's earthquake predictions or other prediction-related information, you confirm that you understand that:

Seismikon's predictions are experimental and may be wrong. They are not official earthquake warnings. You must not rely exclusively on them when making decisions concerning personal safety, evacuation, property, business operations or financial matters. Any action you choose to take based upon a prediction remains your own decision and responsibility, subject always to rights and liabilities that cannot legally be excluded.