Study suggests Earth had a ring system similar to Saturn 466 million years ago

A new study suggests that Earth had a ring system similar to Saturn's about 466 million years ago. This hypothesis is based on the unusual clustering of 21 impact craters near the equator, indicating meteoroids may have originated from a rocky ring. The research links this ring system to significant changes in Earth's climate and life forms during the Ordovician Period. It proposes that the rings could have blocked sunlight, contributing to a global deep freeze, one of the coldest periods in Earth's history. Previously, scientists believed a large asteroid breakup caused the meteorite impacts. The new study posits that a 7.5-mile-wide asteroid may have approached Earth, breaking apart at a specific distance due to gravitational forces, leading to the formation of the ring.