Liability

General - Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights.

Links to non-USGS sites - Links and pointers to non-USGS sites are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement by the USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government, of the referenced organizations, their suitability, content, products, or services, whether they are governmental, educational, or commercial. Some of the documents on this server may contain live references (or pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that the USGS does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.

Non-endorsement of non-USGS products and services - Hypertext links and other references to non-USGS products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty by the USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government, as to their suitability, content, usefulness, functioning, completeness, or accuracy.

Public domain software - Links are provided to public-domain software developed by or for the USGS. Although these programs have been used by the USGS, no warranty is made by the USGS as to the accuracy and functioning of the programs and related program material. Distribution of these materials also does not constitute any warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in connection with any distribution activity.

Previously published USGS information products - The USGS makes every effort to ensure that derogatory and (or) offensive words, names, and phrases are not used in its information products. The USGS recognizes that full redaction of such language can affect research validity and (or) limit the ability of the public to locate previously published scientific information. A derogatory and (or) offensive word, name, or phrase identified in this information product as not meeting current Bureau standards has been partially redacted and the USGS alerts the reader to this modification. If a reader has questions or concerns, they may contact the USGS Fundamental Science Practices Advisory Council (FSPAC) who will review the concern.

Future USGS information products - The USGS makes every effort to avoid the use of derogatory and (or) offensive words, names, and phrases in its information products. If a reader encounters language, they find derogatory or offensive, they are encouraged to contact the USGS Fundamental Science Practices Advisory Council (FSPAC) who will review the concern.

Non-USGS products used in USGS information products - This USGS [insert information product type] incorporates non-USGS content that contains a derogatory and (or) offensive word, name, or phrase that is not possible for the USGS to partially redact or replace.

Refer to Disclaimer Statements Allowed in USGS Science Information Products for additional liability statements related to scientific information products including publications, data, and software.

Contact - If you have general questions about USGS websites, contact the USGS.