Following the time-shift that permitted Sawyer, Juliet, Jin and Miles to observe the ancient "four-toed" statue, Sarnoff and Pennington (the episode's writers - as well as Lindelof and Cuse of course) make it a point to distinguish the flash that results from Locke's wheel turning from all other previous time-shifts. Particularly, Miles states:
"That one was different. It was... that was more like an earthquake."
The last time the wheel was turned (by Ben in "There's No Place Like Home") the Island was enveloped in light and a strange noise. In this case, there is obviously light and noise as has been associated with all the time-shifts - but each of the characters may not have witnessed any other repercussions of the wheel-turning due to being thrust forward in time to 1974.
Theory: Back in the time where the statue was seen from the future-Orchid station location, the magnitude of the wheel being set "back on course" by Locke was felt by an "earthquake" so tremendous that the statue collapsed and tumbled into the ocean. That is why even in 1954, when Locke first met Alpert and Widmore chronologically, the statue likely was in the same state witness by Sayid, Jin and Sun in "Live Together, Die Alone" (in Season 2) - with only a four-toed foot remaining. Theory by Mariner
"That one was different. It was... that was more like an earthquake."
The last time the wheel was turned (by Ben in "There's No Place Like Home") the Island was enveloped in light and a strange noise. In this case, there is obviously light and noise as has been associated with all the time-shifts - but each of the characters may not have witnessed any other repercussions of the wheel-turning due to being thrust forward in time to 1974.
Theory: Back in the time where the statue was seen from the future-Orchid station location, the magnitude of the wheel being set "back on course" by Locke was felt by an "earthquake" so tremendous that the statue collapsed and tumbled into the ocean. That is why even in 1954, when Locke first met Alpert and Widmore chronologically, the statue likely was in the same state witness by Sayid, Jin and Sun in "Live Together, Die Alone" (in Season 2) - with only a four-toed foot remaining. Theory by Mariner
