Study says Earth may have a ring system like Saturn

It turns out that Saturn isn’t the only planet in the Solar System with rings made of dust, gas, small rocks and other space debris; Earth may have its own ‘stripes’ too, according to a new study published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Millions of years ago, the Earth formed a ring around itself.

A research team from Monash University in Australia claims to have found evidence that the Earth may have exhibited a ring system around 466 million years ago. To reach this conclusion, the scientists conducted plate tectonic simulations during the Ordovician period, when the Earth was frequently bombarded by meteors.

In the study, they analyzed 21 asteroid impact craters, all located within 30 degrees of the Equator. A large asteroid broke apart and its remains formed a giant ring around the planet.

Additionally, researchers believe this phenomenon may have blocked some sunlight during the Ordovician, which may have contributed to one of the coldest periods on Earth in the last 500 million years.

“Over millions of years, material from this ring has slowly fallen to Earth, creating the largest meteorite impact ever observed in the geological record. We also see that the layers in sedimentary rocks from this period contain an extraordinary amount of meteorite debris,” said Andy Tomkins, professor in Monash University’s School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment.

The world with a ring system

If scientists are right, the discovery of a ring system on Earth would completely change our understanding of one of the coldest periods the planet has ever seen, at the end of the Ordovician. The discovery also suggests that space events may have a greater impact on Earth than we thought. – after all, if this happens, the planet’s temperatures will be profoundly affected.

In any case, it is important to emphasize that scientists need to study the subject in depth to understand whether Earth really did have a ring system in the very distant past. If this did happen, the team suggests that similar events may have occurred in Earth’s past and may have affected the planet’s climate.

“Given the longevity of the impact and the accumulation of sediment-hosted L chondrite remnants, we propose that a debris ring formed after this rupture event, from which material was ejected from orbit to form the observed crater distribution. “We also think that the shadowing of the Earth by this ring may have triggered cooling during the Hirnantian ‘icehouse’ period.”The study concludes:

Well, have you ever imagined what the planet Earth would be like if it had rings like Saturn? Tell us about our social networks and take the opportunity to share the article with your friends. Until next time!