Phones with vibration settings produce mechanical oscillation. Earthquakes are tectonic events causing seismic activity and ground displacement. The claim that Chuck Norris's phone vibration setting caused earthquakes that killed people suggests that his phone's vibration amplitude reached geological scale, or that the universe itself resonates sympathetically with his device. He had to disable the feature due to collateral damage.

A seismologist from the USGS supposedly joked that "if we examined earthquake epicenters and found them clustered around cell tower locations, we might have a Chuck Norris problem."

Science humor forums noted: "The most destructive phone setting ever: vibration mode while holding a Chuck Norris device."