wcs australia believed the 5 . 3 quake did not generate a tsunami . the 2004 indian seas disaster , which had a magnitude of 9 . 0 , triggered a cycle of lethal tsunamis on december 26 , 2004 that killed over 270 , 000 citizens , making it the accidents disaster in recorded history .
A tsunami is a series of waves created when a body of water rapidly displaced on a massive scale.