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Tsunami disaster The Indian Ocean tsunami was generated by the most powerful earthquake in the world in decades on December 26. It’s believed to have killed more than 150,000 people and made millions homeless, also making it the most destructive tsunami in history. The calculation of the earthquake that made the tsunami in the Indian ocean was 9.0 near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors earthquakes worldwide. A violent movement of the Earth's tectonic plates displaced an enormous amount of water, sending powerful shock waves in every direction. Within hours killer waves radiating from the tsunami slammed into the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries, snatching people out to sea, drowning others in their homes or on beaches, and demolishing property from Africa to Thailand Tsunamis have been relatively rare in the Indian Ocean. They are most rare in the Pacific. But every ocean has generated the scourges. Many of the countries are at risk. In the wake of the Christmas weekend tsunami in the Indian Ocean, one of the worst disasters in history, One of the National Geographic News staff examines the killer waves' causes and warning signs this information can be a lifesaver in a tsunami zone. • A tsunami is a series of great sea waves caused by an underwater earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. More rarely, a tsunami can be generated by a giant meteor impact with the ocean.