O'Sullivan, 39, broke snooker rules by lining up a shot with the chalk but was not reprimanded by the referee during his match against Stuart Bingham.
A World Snooker spokesman told BBC Sport it will look into the incident.
"The referee is unaware, Ronnie is too but for me, that is a foul. You are not allowed to do that," said BBC Sport pundit Ken Doherty.
World Snooker will ask referee Terry Camilleri for his interpretation of the incident. There is no possibility of punishment against O'Sullivan.
Although O'Sullivan was allowed to finish his break in the fifth frame, he went on to lose the next three as Bingham opened up a 5-3 lead after the first session in the quarter-final.
The match resumes on Wednesday at 14:30 BST.
Camilleri should have called a foul when O'Sullivan placed his chalk on the table to line up a shot, as snooker rules state a seven-point penalty will be awarded to the opponent if a player 'uses any object to measure gaps or distance'.
Doherty added: "As far as I am aware, you are not allowed to put the chalk on the table because you are using it as a tool to measure the ball.
"That is exactly what Ronnie has done. Stuart Bingham was looking at him and should really be aware. If he had more knowledge of the rules, he would have jumped up out of his chair."
It is not O'Sullivan's first controversy of at the Crucible in this championship.
He escaped a fine after briefly playing in his socks in his first-round win over qualifier Craig Steadman. He also came close to snapping his cue during his second-round match against Matthew Stevens.
In 2013, 'The Rocket' was warned by referee Michaela Tabb for what she believed was an improper gesture during his semi-final against Judd Trump.
Regarding O'Sullivan's latest incident, Tabb - who resigned from the tour in March - said: "Chalkgate...Foul seven. I don't have Terry's opinion though, he may have seen it differently. Also the Crucible is the hardest venue to ref in."
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