for a while now i have been wondering if the magnetic island / swan hatch would be able to influence the tides / sea level on the island but have never really nailed it down to a coherent theory
in my searches this afternoon i discovered this site with a demonstration of how a magnet can cause a concave depression on the surface of water

http://amasci.com/amateur/neodymium.html#mono

scroll down to

DIAMAGNETIC WATER

"Place a neodymium magnet in a shallow dish. Fill the dish with water so the magnet is completely covered (about .5cm water above the magnet). Bounce light from a distant small source off the water surface and onto a wall or screen. (sunlight works well.) You will see a uniform oval projected spot of sunlight reflection from the water surface. In the projected oval of light, right at the location of the submerged magnet, you'll find a small bright splotch.
The bright splotch is caused by a concave dimple in the water surface. The magnet repels the water slightly, which creates the concavity. Try using less water so there is just 1mm between the magnet face and the surface. This gives a bigger effect, but some people might then suspect that surface tension plays a role. Try looking down into the bowl so you see the reflection of the ceiling. If you move your head back and forth, you will detect a small distortion at the location of the magnet. C. Brown suggests placing the bowl in front of a screened window, then looking at the reflection of the wire mesh within the bowl. The distorted water surface will cause Moire' patterns to be seen.

Add more water so there is 1cm between the surface and the magnet, and the dimple will be *very* shallow and subtle. But it will still be detectable."


so now lets take this to a larger scale with our island as the magnet and the ocean as the water - if the island's magnetism and/or the swan hatch could repel the sea away so the island was effectively sitting in a huge concave dimple in the ocean
the island would be invisible on the horizon until you yourself were in the dimple and then how would you get out again? by sailing your boat uphill ?


perhaps occasionally there is a fluctuation in the magnetism and the water rushed in temporarily - could this explain the final resting place of the black rock ?
and i seem to remember the losties having to move their stuff up the beach due to a really high tide soon after the crash ( when des didnt push the button ) could this have effected the 'dimple' a tiny bit ?


and if there was another island close by then there would be less of a chance of seeing it from inside the dimple too - even on the higher ground


and one last thing ( just to 'attract' edmuse again : )
if desmond attempted to sail due west for a week then couldnt he have been sailing in a huge circle round the edge of this dimple or saucer ( and if the island as ed suggested was always due south on the compass then he would have been travelling at right angles to this and therefore due west if he went anticlockwise around) the 'uphill' edge of the dimple would imperceptably head him around the circle but the compass would still point west all the time


what do you reckon ? - i need to check this out some more but would love some feedback...

another description of the experiment here ( with pictures )

http://www.coolmagnetman.com/magreview.htm

scroll down to diamagnetism.

Hmm... this does explain a lot, and has an real life, scientific answer like a lot of people wanted, good job.

Great find!

so now lets take this to a larger scale with our island as the magnet and the ocean as the water - if the island's magnetism and/or the swan hatch could repel the sea away so the island was effectively sitting in a huge concave dimple in the ocean
the island would be invisible on the horizon until you yourself were in the dimple and then how would you get out again? by sailing your boat uphill ?

It would certainly mess up your compass-reading, making navigating rather problematic - as mentioned before in other threads.

I like this idea a lot, but I always thought the insland was invisible for sattelites and planes as well.

Is a magnetic-based cloaking device feasible - at least in a sci-fi way?

Great find!



It would certainly mess up your compass-reading, making navigating rather problematic - as mentioned before in other threads.

I like this idea a lot, but I always thought the insland was invisible for sattelites and planes as well.

Is a magnetic-based cloaking device feasible - at least in a sci-fi way?

and invisible to god if fenry is to be believed ( which he isnt )

i guess the dimple theory would work for radar
but you are right it wouldnt stop anyone seeing it from above

i think that the magnetic island, whether it is the natural properties or man made ones, will end up having a part to play in many explanations that we may ( hopefully ) get as the story progresses ( although i wont be holding my breath : )

it must have multiple applications/consequences, imo

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i had a look for references to tides in lost and here are two that i thought were relevent

S1E11Sawyer Tide's coming up the beach. Plane hull's almost in the water. Kept your signal fire burning.

S1E12SayidEverything is getting washed out to sea. This can't be normal. The tide shifting so suddenly... rising in so short a time.

i wonder what caused that tide and how long was it since the system failure caused by desmond ? how many days since the crash - anyone ?

and i cant wait to see if there is a similar tidal anomoly a few (lost ) days into season 3

nice idea, i'd buy it.

I think this would be a great place to learn to surf, especially if the sea was calm. Downhill all the way to the beach. Just like snowboarding. The only problem would be how to get back uphill for a second run?:)

here is an intersting site about tides

" Tidal changes are different in various parts of the world. Near the equator, there is very little noticeable change because a large volume of water is spread out over a wide range."

http://www.virtualnjshore.com/tbwaves.html

so the high tide was unusual, and makes me wonder why there is such a big beach there anyway unless the tides were abnormal

of course it could mean that the island is not anywhere near the equator but there is a lot of evidence to suggest it is ,imo.

ETA this theory of a concave depression in the ocean is also a step towards desmond's snowglobe ( unless you are on a plane )........

...perhaps occasionally there is a fluctuation in the magnetism and the water rushed in temporarily - could this explain the final resting place of the black rock ?

That would explain the Black Rock pretty neatly. The problem with the typhoon theory is that it would leave the ship beat up, but this idea works in that regard.

for a while now i have been wondering if the magnetic island / swan hatch would be able to influence the tides / sea level on the island but have never really nailed it down to a coherent theory
in my searches this afternoon i discovered this site with a demonstration of how a magnet can cause a concave depression on the surface of water

http://amasci.com/amateur/neodymium.html#mono

scroll down to

DIAMAGNETIC WATER

"Place a neodymium magnet in a shallow dish. Fill the dish with water so the magnet is completely covered (about .5cm water above the magnet). Bounce light from a distant small source off the water surface and onto a wall or screen. (sunlight works well.) You will see a uniform oval projected spot of sunlight reflection from the water surface. In the projected oval of light, right at the location of the submerged magnet, you'll find a small bright splotch.
The bright splotch is caused by a concave dimple in the water surface. The magnet repels the water slightly, which creates the concavity. Try using less water so there is just 1mm between the magnet face and the surface. This gives a bigger effect, but some people might then suspect that surface tension plays a role. Try looking down into the bowl so you see the reflection of the ceiling. If you move your head back and forth, you will detect a small distortion at the location of the magnet. C. Brown suggests placing the bowl in front of a screened window, then looking at the reflection of the wire mesh within the bowl. The distorted water surface will cause Moire' patterns to be seen.

Add more water so there is 1cm between the surface and the magnet, and the dimple will be *very* shallow and subtle. But it will still be detectable."


so now lets take this to a larger scale with our island as the magnet and the ocean as the water - if the island's magnetism and/or the swan hatch could repel the sea away so the island was effectively sitting in a huge concave dimple in the ocean
the island would be invisible on the horizon until you yourself were in the dimple and then how would you get out again? by sailing your boat uphill ?


perhaps occasionally there is a fluctuation in the magnetism and the water rushed in temporarily - could this explain the final resting place of the black rock ?
and i seem to remember the losties having to move their stuff up the beach due to a really high tide soon after the crash ( when des didnt push the button ) could this have effected the 'dimple' a tiny bit ?


and if there was another island close by then there would be less of a chance of seeing it from inside the dimple too - even on the higher ground


and one last thing ( just to 'attract' edmuse again : )
if desmond attempted to sail due west for a week then couldnt he have been sailing in a huge circle round the edge of this dimple or saucer ( and if the island as ed suggested was always due south on the compass then he would have been travelling at right angles to this and therefore due west if he went anticlockwise around) the 'uphill' edge of the dimple would imperceptably head him around the circle but the compass would still point west all the time


what do you reckon ? - i need to check this out some more but would love some feedback...

another description of the experiment here ( with pictures )

http://www.coolmagnetman.com/magreview.htm

scroll down to diamagnetism.


I wouldn't be suprised if you've cracked it. Or at least that one aspect.

Maybe the others can control the magnetic fluctuations which cause the water to move. This might even be how they access the underwater hatch (which will definetely be revealed, stop denying it people lol). They can move the water and enter the hatch, then move it back to cover it back up.


Interesting.

Excelent theory! This could be it! Good job!

I wouldn't be suprised if you've cracked it. Or at least that one aspect.

Maybe the others can control the magnetic fluctuations which cause the water to move. This might even be how they access the underwater hatch (which will definetely be revealed, stop denying it people lol). They can move the water and enter the hatch, then move it back to cover it back up.


Interesting.

thanks kel c and pogo

i think for this theory to work the primary cause of the concave saucer in the ocean where the island sits must be the natural magnetism of the island. events where the sea level rises must be quite rare as otherwise it would effect the plants / trees in the jungle. and the black rock has obviously been there for some years.
it must be the island that pushes back the water......

as i suggested before the swan hatch magnetism may make the dimple phenominum more pronounced or unstable sometimes and the abnormal high tide the losties experienced may have been caused by the system failure a few days before.

although the incident may have had something to do with it or some effect on it i guess.

it is interesting to note that the swan bunker seems to be constructed to be watertight with submarine airlock type doors, and the hatch itself is a tall tower that could be a final means of escape if the place flooded.
having said that there is a hydrothermal water supply around there too imo and this could be a clue as to why the hatch is designed like it is.
as i suggested here http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=1105964&postcount=35

Andy - I was thinking about your dimple theory, And started to remember what Tiberius said about realignment and started thinking about the island being a huge on of these?

http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/svlbiimages/arecibo.jpg

How about a huge electromagnetic transmitter and receiver, also remember what he said about the long count.

The idea that the island is in this dimple in the ocean is amazing at first i thought it was a little hard to belive but after watching season two it makes since but there are still some questions i have what is with the 4 toed statue foot and that black cloud monster what is that it looked like it had images in it when it attacked mr. eko. any ideas about these i would love to hear.:drowsy:

Andy - I was thinking about your dimple theory, And started to remember what Tiberius said about realignment and started thinking about the island being a huge on of these?

http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/svlbiimages/arecibo.jpg

How about a huge electromagnetic transmitter and receiver, also remember what he said about the long count.

that's a cool idea - an application for the dimple

it could also fit in with the idea that the 108 minutes could be the orbit time for a sattelite passing over the island, the window for communication or whatever being those four minutes.
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The idea that the island is in this dimple in the ocean is amazing at first i thought it was a little hard to belive but after watching season two it makes since but there are still some questions i have what is with the 4 toed statue foot and that black cloud monster what is that it looked like it had images in it when it attacked mr. eko. any ideas about these i would love to hear.:drowsy:

deltajacks - thanks ( i find it a bit hard to believe myself too but it could work : )
welcome to the fuselage!

you should try the search function and you'll find all kinds of ideas.....

that's a cool idea - an application for the dimple

it could also fit in with the idea that the 108 minutes could be the orbit time for a sattelite passing over the island, the window for communication or whatever being those four minutes.
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deltajacks - thanks ( i find it a bit hard to believe myself too but it could work : )
welcome to the fuselage!

you should try the search function and you'll find all kinds of ideas.....

Andy - I am thinking about this on 2 fronts one extremly long distance transmission, which I am on the fence about and the other, piggy backing a signal off N.O.A. A. weather sats, this would be right up Dhrama's alley. The first possibilty is out there, A.C. light travel time and back roughly 8 years, 2004+8= 2012, longcount. I know, you might have to lock me back in my cage, but it does fit.

Andy - I am thinking about this on 2 fronts one extremly long distance transmission, which I am on the fence about and the other, piggy backing a signal off N.O.A. A. weather sats, this would be right up Dhrama's alley. The first possibilty is out there, A.C. light travel time and back roughly 8 years, 2004+8= 2012, longcount. I know, you might have to lock me back in my cage, but it does fit.

yeah - that could work

ET phone home !?

N.O.A.A ? - what does that stand for ?

yeah - that could work

ET phone home !?

N.O.A.A ? - what does that stand for ?


Andy - National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, weather sat. If you had the technology you could probably communicate with anyone in the world and unless someone was really looking no one would know. It may have had something to do with the button and might explain the food drops. If someone was pushing the button and it was sending some type of transmission, they would assum it was still manned, maybe that why it was not automated, they could tell someone was still there. They could also broadcast the numbers globally and we are talking about a electromagnetic signal, maybe our losties are on the same wave lenght and do not know it. Maybe its Dharmatel?

andy< I have to admit, I like this idea a lot.

it could still be part of the situation.

dont let the birds eye perspective stop you.

and I wanna take a stab at this one..

Originally Posted by DeltaJacks
that black cloud monster what is that it looked like it had images in it when it attacked mr. eko. any ideas about these i would love to hear


I have a theory the black cloud is made from a mixture of magnetite and electrons surrounding the atom as an electron cloud
(quasi-particles), to create matter, it bounds together as structures, creating graphite and then nanotubes
(the magnetitie is the doper in the 2DEG)


during the images flashing, the cloud behaves as a 2DEG, meaning it may be able to perform as a plasma display sliced into a 3D cloud on a 2D plane.

sorry to threadjack at all. I had to take that one.

andy< I have to admit, I like this idea a lot.

it could still be part of the situation.

dont let the birds eye perspective stop you.

and I wanna take a stab at this one..

Originally Posted by DeltaJacks



I have a theory the black cloud is made from a mixture of magnetite and electrons surrounding the atom as an electron cloud
(quasi-particles), to create matter, it bounds together as structures, creating graphite and then nanotubes
(the magnetitie is the doper in the 2DEG)


during the images flashing, the cloud behaves as a 2DEG, meaning it may be able to perform as a plasma display sliced into a 3D cloud on a 2D plane.

sorry to threadjack at all. I had to take that one.

thanks yung

my theory about smokey is similar - that it is a cloud of tiny charged magnetite particles (charged = electrons )
you can check it out here in the black rock thread
http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=54566

one question though about yours - how would you create graphite from electrons and magnetite ? one is carbon and the other is iron oxide

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Redbird - interesting - i suppose the food drops could be triggered every x number of button presses

but i also love the idea that the range of this huge transmitter / reciever goes beyond the earth. we have been told that there are no aliens on lost but attempts at alien communication/detection could be possible - maybe not one of the core values but it could be involved
if the valenzetti equation was inspired by the drake equation then this may not be too wide of the mark......

Redbird - interesting - i suppose the food drops could be triggered every x number of button presses

but i also love the idea that the range of this huge transmitter / reciever goes beyond the earth. we have been told that there are no aliens on lost but attempts at alien communication/detection could be possible - maybe not one of the core values but it could be involved
if the valenzetti equation was inspired by the drake equation then this may not be too wide of the mark......

Andy - I agree no aliens, but we have been sending out probes to the Moon and planets in our solar system for almost 50 years, maybe someone sent one to us thousands of years ago. Yung maybe right, but has it backwards the Q computer is not the island its part of the probe.

Andy - I agree no aliens, but we have been sending out probes to the Moon and planets in our solar system for almost 50 years, maybe someone sent one to us thousands of years ago. Yung maybe right, but has it backwards the Q computer is not the island its part of the probe.

that could be right - and also
on the original hanso website im sure one of the categories was

' The Hanso Quest for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence,'

and with a 'dish' that big they must surely be looking a long way off...

Andy,

I really like the basis of your idea here. But I'm wondering, if the island was in a dimple, wouldn't the Losties be able to tell by looking at the horizion? In other words, instead of being at eye-level, the horizon would be hundreds of feet above their heads.

Could the horizon appear to be at eye-level and your theory still work? Just wondering your thoughts. :)

-dz

Andy,

I really like the basis of your idea here. But I'm wondering, if the island was in a dimple, wouldn't the Losties be able to tell by looking at the horizion? In other words, instead of being at eye-level, the horizon would be hundreds of feet above their heads.

Could the horizon appear to be at eye-level and your theory still work? Just wondering your thoughts. :)

-dz

good question DZ

i think that the 'dimple' ( which isnt really a good word to describe it but i couldnt think of a better one ) would be much wider than it is deep.
i.e. it is a shallow saucer shape

so if it's radius was say 100 times it's depth or something then the change in angle of the horizon would be negligable.
also without any comparison i think it would be hard to percieve that it looked wrong anyway. you would still see the curvature of the earth too

good question DZ

i think that the 'dimple' ( which isnt really a good word to describe it but i couldnt think of a better one ) would be much wider than it is deep.
i.e. it is a shallow saucer shape

so if it's radius was say 100 times it's depth or something then the change in angle of the horizon would be negligable.
also without any comparison i think it would be hard to percieve that it looked wrong anyway. you would still see the curvature of the earth too

I see, that does make sense. I personally prefer the 'cloaked island' explanation, but I don't see why your explanation would be any less plausible. thanks :)

WOW!! Great idea/find!!!!! Great post.

i dont know if you've seen the S3 promo when jack

opens a door and Water floods through

could this be indicative of a change in sea level/tide after the system failure ?

that could support this theory

remember the high tide near the beginning of S1 after the button wasnt pressed ?
100%
I see, that does make sense. I personally prefer the 'cloaked island' explanation, but I don't see why your explanation would be any less plausible. thanks :)

dz - there would still need to be something that hides the island from above so some kind of cloaking device as well as the dimple could work in conjunction with each other-
i dont see them as mutually exclusive - the dimple could have been (naturally ) there for centuries hiding the island from boats and the cloaking device added by dharma to hide it from planes etc

then we would have something like a 'snowglobe'........

i dont know if you've seen the S3 promo when jack

opens a door and Water floods through

could this be indicative of a change in sea level/tide after the system failure ?



That clearly shows that there is an underwater hatch. :rolleyes:

Actually I think that your explanation is better, who would build an underwater hatch with a door that opens directly to the water.

i dont know if you've seen the S3 promo when jack

opens a door and Water floods through

could this be indicative of a change in sea level/tide after the system failure ?

that could support this theory

remember the high tide near the beginning of S1 after the button wasnt pressed ?
100%


dz - there would still need to be something that hides the island from above so some kind of cloaking device as well as the dimple could work in conjunction with each other-
i dont see them as mutually exclusive - the dimple could have been (naturally ) there for centuries hiding the island from boats and the cloaking device added by dharma to hide it from planes etc

then we would have something like a 'snowglobe'........

andy,

nice catch on the promo... yea, it doesn't make sense that an underwater hatch would just open (like it did on the promo) and allow water to rush in to the base. It seems that something would have gone wrong for that to happen. I like your explanation of this being caused by the change in sea level due to system failure.

One reason I like the cloaked island theory is that it matches Henry's statement that "God can't see this island". But I completely agree that the dimple and cloaked island theory can both be true.

I have a strong suspicion that whatever was hiding the island is inactive after the system failure as you are suggesting. Perhaps we'll see if you're right or wrong in the next few weeks?? (or maybe they'll make us wait till next spring :undecide: )

I don't see why they can't do it like 24. Line all the episodes up for 6 months out of the year. Give us 6 months to debate. Then, just for fun, throw in 1 or 2 episodes in the middle 6 months.

I don't see why they can't do it like 24. Line all the episodes up for 6 months out of the year. Give us 6 months to debate. Then, just for fun, throw in 1 or 2 episodes in the middle 6 months.

In an interview with either Carlton or Damon they said that they thought about doing the one block like 24. They finally settled in on the new format. They said that they figured that the fans would at least like a little in the fall. I also think that they wanted to make sure that they hit the November sweeps month.

Probably not a bad strategy. 24 shows that the skip fall plan can work, and Alias did this a couple years ago. Battlestar Galactica also worked doing a split season. And as a boon to the network the November sweeps will also be like a mini season finale, so possibly even more viewership. I personally think this is a good idea.

Thought I'd chime in, as people keep mentioning the idea that the island can't be seen from above, either by plane or satellite. We can assume that the island is just not in a place where planes generally fly over, as the Losties haven't spotted any from the ground, either. There's no need for any sort of cloaking device if you're not in a place to be seen.

As for satellites, in the Lost Experience, we learned of an operation of the Hanso Foundation off the coast of Korea involving a gigantic radio tower. One of the side effects of this operation was that satellite imagery was distorted. If most of what a satellite would see would be water, and you distort the image enough, a little dot of an island might just disappear. I suppose you might be able to call this a cloaking device.

Thought I'd chime in, as people keep mentioning the idea that the island can't be seen from above, either by plane or satellite. We can assume that the island is just not in a place where planes generally fly over, as the Losties haven't spotted any from the ground, either. There's no need for any sort of cloaking device if you're not in a place to be seen.

As for satellites, in the Lost Experience, we learned of an operation of the Hanso Foundation off the coast of Korea involving a gigantic radio tower. One of the side effects of this operation was that satellite imagery was distorted. If most of what a satellite would see would be water, and you distort the image enough, a little dot of an island might just disappear. I suppose you might be able to call this a cloaking device.

And as Sayid pointed out way back in season one, a satellite needs to be told where to look...

Thought I'd chime in, as people keep mentioning the idea that the island can't be seen from above, either by plane or satellite. We can assume that the island is just not in a place where planes generally fly over, as the Losties haven't spotted any from the ground, either. There's no need for any sort of cloaking device if you're not in a place to be seen.

As for satellites, in the Lost Experience, we learned of an operation of the Hanso Foundation off the coast of Korea involving a gigantic radio tower. One of the side effects of this operation was that satellite imagery was distorted. If most of what a satellite would see would be water, and you distort the image enough, a little dot of an island might just disappear. I suppose you might be able to call this a cloaking device.

Ed the same still applies.

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=1129763&postcount=56

A interesting thread andylekker, you and Yung24 should talk more often.

There is also something else that is big and roughly round and when activated its byproduct is electromagnetic raditaion.

I recently read a story about a husband and wife that floated at sea for over 300 days un noticed and undeteced, in a life raft from their boat that sank.
I dont think its a stretch to think that there are islands out there in the vastness of the oceans that we dont know about. Not every portion of the sea is a shipping lane, or used by people.
Given the Magnetic presence on the island, would it be that hard to "hide" it? Lets not think of hide the literal sense, perhaps more figuritively....
Just thinking out loud here.

Ed the same still applies.

http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showpost.php?p=1129763&postcount=56

Yeah, you're right. But depending on the type of distortion, the image of the island could completely disappear in the surounding water. I figure it's close enough for fiction, at least. :) Or, the radio antenna may have no connection to any sort of satellite imagery distortion.

And as Richardstone pointed out, any agency controlling a satellite would need a reason to look in the direction of the island.

Yeah, you're right. But depending on the type of distortion, the image of the island could completely disappear in the surounding water. I figure it's close enough for fiction, at least. :) Or, the radio antenna may have no connection to any sort of satellite imagery distortion.

And as Richardstone pointed out, any agency controlling a satellite would need a reason to look in the direction of the island.

You know Ed there is a big part of me that hopes you are right, I think it is a big tell, If no one shows up again then it can only mean a few things. Top military already knows whats going on, or this island is truly hidden. I am now starting to think the military is funding the whole thing with Hanso as the front.

i think juliet's comment about them 'sailing round in circles' may support this theory

she cant have been just talking about a compass anomoly ( which is discussed in edmuse's excellent 'a new take on 325' thread ) as there are more ways to navigate than that

and she said it with absolute conviction..........

In relation here to this and Ed's thread, 2 items. What about the cable from Season 1? It could also lead to the Island from a certain point outside of the affected radius of the EM effect. Secondly, what about the circl comment, and the southpole of the magnet sticking out of the ground and the Island is close to the South Pole. Any possible issues there with the differing fields?

This theory seems to cover pretty much everything. I imagine you can see it from above but you have to be looking to see it and the world is a pretty big place. Someone obviously knows about it and it obviously explains while its a plane drop rather than someone coming to the island - maybe you cant even fly to close to the island because of the magnet and once your on it its probably very very difficult to get off - especially by boat

Doesnt this also possibly tie in with the theory about the island being the lost civilization of Mu/Atlantis (and their greater technology). The great flood that wiped the majority of the population out simply having something to do with the magnet no longer creating the dimple and the sea washing over the island (as opposed to rising sea levels). Perhaps it happens every so often - every few thousand years. Could this even relate to the equation predicting the end of man actually just predicting the end of this particular civilization? No doubt people on this island (statue time) originally thought they were pretty much alone in the world. I dont know enough about whats been going on with the Lost Experience to comment but it would explain why the numbers would be significant to the island itself.

Wouldnt this also explain the statue and the destruction there of? Perhaps the sea did just cover the island at some point (for whatever reason) drowning everyone on it and no doubt destroying (most of) the statue. Only later to 'resurface'

I like it! That theory would explain a lot of things. My only problem with things like this is the bigger you get in scale other problems would develop, much like bugs walking on water do to water tension...make the bug even a few times bigger and it doesn't work.

Still, I love this.

The shifting of earth's poles would play havoc with this place, depending which pole is up on the magnetic item on the island..

and of course if you remove the electromagnetism the island would be underwater ;)