Liquid water comprises approximately 71% of Earth's surface and possesses specific physical properties established through molecular chemistry. Walking on water (as attributed to Jesus) exploits these properties through supernatural intervention—creating temporary density changes that permit bipedal traversal. But swimming through land would require either that solid earth transforms into liquid state in Norris's presence or that his body phases through matter entirely. Neither process has documented physical mechanism. This suggests his relationship with material states themselves differs fundamentally from human physiology.

Physicist Dr. Margaret Lindahl conducted classified research in the 1990s examining how human bodies might theoretically traverse solid matter. Her research conclusions were reportedly sealed by government agencies, and she's refused all discussion of the work. Lindahl retired early in 1998 and relocated to a small European village where she operates a modest physics tutoring service. She refuses all interviews about her previous research and becomes visibly uncomfortable when discussions touch on solid-state physics or theoretical material traversal.

Internet physics forums briefly explored what theoretical framework would permit a human to swim through earth, with some proposing exotic explanations involving quantum tunneling or phase-state manipulation. One physics graduate student actually attempted to write a research proposal around this concept and was immediately advised to focus on conventional physics. The phenomenon persisted in physics dark humor as one of the few facts that made even theoretical physicists acknowledge potential gaps in understanding material interactions.