In order to determine whether the debris that hit Earth originated as Saturn’s rings, from the debris ring, scientists studied the dispersion pattern of the meteor cluster by analyzing meteor impacts on parts of the Earth’s surface that have been largely undisturbed since the Ordovician period. .
North America, Western Australia, and Europe were studied, allowing Earth and Planetary scientists to determine where impact craters from meteor impacts were located during the Ordovician period. All of the impact craters were clustered within 30 degrees of the equator, even though the entire area was clear at the time, meaning there was something other than an accident causing the strikes to form a pattern.