Although I was touring Cal-Tech almost two weeks ago for my son who is college shopping and they said they use a different scale there than the Richter scale. Although the Richter scale was coined and codified at Cal-Tech, they use the 'car scale'. Apparently any time there is a major quake in the world, CNN, Fox and half a dozen others send out reporters to interview the heads of the USGS. It happens often enough that the major networks all maintain mic/camera feeds at the school and have parking spaces.