The Really Big One — Kathryn Schulz / The New Yorker

A super interesting (and terrifying) look at the earthquake that will decimate the Pacific Northwest.

By the time the shaking has ceased and the tsunami has receded, the region will be unrecognizable. Kenneth Murphy, who directs FEMA’s Region X, the division responsible for Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, says, “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast.”

Schulz does a brilliant job of crafting a vivid narrative of the overlooked Cascadian fault line — which seismologists argue puts San Andreas to shame. Definitely worth your time.