This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, which ones QuakeBeat uses, and how you can control them. QuakeBeat is a free, real-time earthquake tracking site: a live map, a magnitude log and historical data on major seismic events worldwide, sourced from public feeds such as USGS and NOAA NCEI.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They let a site remember your preferences, recognise repeat visits and, in the case of advertising cookies, show ads that are more relevant to you.
Cookies we use
Strictly necessary. A small number of cookies are required for the site to function correctly, for example to remember your language preference (EN/ES) or basic session settings. These cannot be disabled without affecting core functionality.
Advertising (Google AdSense). QuakeBeat displays ads through Google AdSense. Google and its advertising partners may set cookies to serve ads based on your visits to this and other websites, and to measure how effective those ads are. These are third-party cookies controlled by Google, not by QuakeBeat directly.
Analytics. We may use privacy-friendly analytics cookies to understand aggregate traffic — for example, which pages are most visited — so we can improve the site. These do not identify you personally.
Third-party cookies
Because we embed a Leaflet-based map and serve ads via Google AdSense, some cookies come from third parties (Google, and map tile providers) rather than from quakebeat.com directly. We do not control the content or duration of these third-party cookies, only whether we choose to load these services on the page.
How long do cookies last?
Session cookies are deleted automatically when you close your browser and are used for basic site functionality, such as remembering the language you selected during your visit. Persistent cookies, mostly set by Google AdSense and analytics providers, can remain on your device for anything from a few days to around two years, depending on the provider's own policy — we do not set these expiry periods ourselves.
Cookies by category
Functional: language preference, basic UI state. Set by quakebeat.com, short-lived.
Advertising: ad personalisation, frequency capping, conversion measurement. Set by Google and its ad partners, persistent.
Analytics: aggregate page views and traffic sources. Set by our analytics provider, persistent but anonymised where possible.
How to manage cookies
You can control, block or delete cookies through your browser settings — in Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge this is usually found under Privacy / Cookies settings. You can also opt out of personalised advertising specifically at Google Ads Settings or via the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page. Note that blocking all cookies may affect how parts of the site work, such as the live map.
Do Not Track signals
Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal to websites you visit. There is no common industry standard for how sites should respond to DNT, so QuakeBeat currently does not change its behaviour based on this signal. You can still limit tracking effectively through the browser and ad-network opt-outs described above.
Cookies and children
QuakeBeat is a general-audience site about earthquake science and is not directed specifically at children. We do not use cookies to knowingly build advertising profiles of children, and the advertising cookies described above are governed by Google's own policies on age-appropriate ad serving.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, the third-party services we integrate, or for legal reasons. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date where relevant, so we encourage you to revisit it occasionally.
Questions about this policy? Contact us at info@seoforce.es. See also our Privacy Policy.