The Starfleet Survival Guide

1.01 Causing Localized Seismic Disruptions with Tricorder and/or Combadge Signals

Although creating controlled seismic events is extremely dangerous, they can be an effective deterrent if executed properly -- blocking the path of a pursuer or group of pursuers in a wilderness setting by causing the collapse of a large volume of earth, rock, snow, or other material.

This effect is sometimes easy to create with well-placed phaser blasts, but if phasers are not available or have malfunctioned, a variety of terrains might prove susceptible to disruption through the use of ultrasonic and hypersonic signals from a combadge or tricorder. Regions with great quantities of loose rock, muddy earth, or heavy accumulations of snow or similar frozen precipitation can be induced to collapse by using focused sonic waves to reduce their overall strength and cohesion.

For maximum effect, such controlled events should be directed into gullies, narrow canyon passages, or other close areas, providing the greatest degree of obstruction to a pursuer. However, great care should be taken not to execute such a tactic too close to any settled area, or in a lo ... read full excerpt from Star Trek: The Starfleet Survival Guide ebook