Some amateur earthquake researchers were looking for a precursor signal for the Haiti quake.  After a list member alerted me to the possibility of a recurring Haiti quake (Meg), I decided to look at the HAARP riometer.  Looking back to the January 12th data, there was a clear and sharp increase in radio absorption immediately preceding the first major Haiti earthquake.

I did not found anything in the peer reviewed literature to explain a possible correlation.  My guess is the ionospheric absorption measures the ionosphere's ability to absorb photons from radio waves.  If we suppose an imminent earthquake is producing p-hole type ground currents, then the currents might be due to the shorting of the ionosphere electrostatic charge.  This might then allow the surrounding ionosphere to transfer electrons to the potential earthquake location via electric current or charge displacement.  The general worldwide ionosphere electron density for the atmospheric conditions at that time would enable the conversion of radio wave photons to electrons via the photoelectric effect.  This would recharge the drained electrostatic charge of the ionosphere.  The conversion of radio wave photons to ionospheric electrons appears to be the cause of the absorption spike.

If the above hypothesis is correct, we should then look for measurements indicating electron flow through the ionosphere and see where the currents converge.  They should converge at the location above the earthquake zone where the ionosphere is shorting to the Earth.

The shorting of the ionosphere to the Earth would manifest differently depending upon the atmospheric conditions and strength of the p-hole currents in the ground.  Thus some "shorting effects" might be the generation of clouds, light discharges, or possibly even tornadoes and thunderstorms.  It is also likely that some riometer absorption spikes are caused entirely from a surge in electrical storms around the planet, and in this case would not signal the approach of an earthquake.

I suppose clouds might be an effect of earthquake p-hole currents because I have demonstrated the effect of high electrostatic potentials on water vapor to my own satisfaction.  I believe other researchers have also produced clouds electrically in cloud chambers.  Also, earthquake clouds have been observed to precede actual earthquakes in many areas of the world.

One riometer may not be able to pinpoint the location of earthquakes, but a network of riometers might be able to. Therefore, this might be the beginning of a viable earthquake prediction technique.