What caused the tsunami

Sea-floor uplift due to Great Sumatra earthquake caused the last year deadly tsunami and not a giant underwater landslide as previously thought, reveals a finding by a Discovery Channel-funded expedition of scientists.

The channel will air the entire expedition in its premier programme "Unstoppable Wave" on December 25 with a repeat on the next day.

The expedition, aimed at exploring the sea bed site of the Asian tsunami to uncover and comprehend the causes and the fast-fading evidence of the killer tsunami, was undertaken by scientists from around the world.

Complete coverage: Waves of destruction

"A pioneering step in science, the new scientific findings from the expedition will enable scientists to improve computer-generated tsunami models and better predict the next tsunami," Discovery Networks India Brand Director Raja Balasubramanian told reporters in Mumbai.

The expedition ship was onboard for 17 days with 27 scientists, lead by oceanographer Kate Moran. The team also included an Indian, Baban Ingole, a scientist in biological division at National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. "It was a trip of a lifetime-- an expedition which provides groundbreaking scientific information that will help scientists predict tsunamis in the future. The expedition was a groundbreaking science which will shape the scientific understanding of tsunamis," Ignole said.