The Vikings settled in the United States exactly 1000 years ago

Everyone knows that the Vikings were in America before Columbus. Now researchers have determined the exact year that the Northerners settled in Newfoundland. A solar storm a thousand years ago helped them to do this.

Exactly a thousand years ago, in 1021, it may have already been The Vikings Lived in North America. At the very least it is recommended by a team of researchers to analyze wood residues Presented in “Nature” magazine. So these findings are the oldest, most accurately dated evidence that people came to the United States from Europe. A violent solar storm helped the group determine the age of the pieces of wood.

That Columbus The first Europeans to reach the American continent have not been known for some time. Last but not least, the Sagas, the old Norse tales of the Middle Ages, describe in detail how the Vikings traveled their iconic long distances hundreds of years ago in the Atlantic Ocean.

Accurate dating

But these stories, initially sent orally, have long been dismissed as myths and fairy tales – because they have so many contradictory and wonderful elements. The sagas became a historical source until the discovery of the L’Anx Oaks prairie in 1961 at the northern tip of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. The exact age of the settlement or the exact time of the Vikings’ arrival on the continent has not yet been determined.

Three obscure pieces of wood now found in the L’Ans Oaks meadows now allow for more accurate dating. Remains from different trees were very closely studied by a team led by geologists Michael Dee and Margot Guidems from the University of Cronington. Scientists are convinced that Northern European sailors could be assigned wood – not only because of their location, but because they clearly showed signs of processing from knives made of metal, a material that was not produced by the locals at the time.

A clear signal

In clarifying the question of when the tree of art was obtained, scientists have now assisted with radiocarbon dates and a cosmic phenomenon: a major solar storm occurred in 992 AD, which generated a clear radiocarbon signal on the tree in the following years.

“A clear increase in radiocarbon production between 992 and 993 AD has been noted in wood ring archives around the world,” Director of Research Dee explains in a press release. The signal was shown in each of the three wood objects examined for 29 growth rings in front of the bark edge. “The fact that we detected the signal of a solar storm in front of 29 growth rings allows us to conclude that the cutting action took place in 1021 AD,” says lead author Quiddet summarized.

According to the authors, their analysis sets a new mark for the arrival of Europeans on the American continent. In addition, he emphasizes the potential value of cosmic radiation events – such as strong solar storms here – as reference points for the future date of artifacts and environmental events.

The effects of the Vikings are not clear

It is not clear how many voyages the Vikings made to the United States and how long they remained there. The consequences of their stay are not yet known.

Icelandic colleagues have suggested that the Vikings entered into cultural exchange with the indigenous peoples of North America, the researchers write: “If these encounters actually took place, they would also be the exchange of animal and plant species or human genetic information that could have unintended consequences, such as the spread of pathogens or the introduction of strangers.

However, recent data from the population of northern Greenland show no evidence of the latter. The authors conclude: “The subject of future research is how AD 1021 relates to the Atlantic activities of the Vikings as a whole. Nevertheless, our results provide a chronological anchor for further investigation into the effects of their Western expansion.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03972-8

SDA / dpa / uri