Palaeontology
Cold snap drove Vikings from Greenland
By
T.K. RandallJune 2, 2011 ·
6 comments
Image Credit: Jason Vanderhill
Extreme climate changes caused the Vikings to abandon their homeland in search of warmer weather.
While many scientists and historians know of the ice age that spread across Europe in the 1600s, recent work in Greenland indicates there was an even earlier temperature plunge in the 12th century that caused the Vikings to seek warmer climates elsewhere.
A cold snap in Greenland in the 12th century may help explain why Viking settlers vanished from the island, scientists said on Monday. The report, reconstructing temperatures by examining lake sediment cores in west Greenland dating back 5,600 years, also indicated that earlier, pre-historic settlers also had to contend with vicious swings in climate on icy Greenland.
Source:
Yahoo! News |
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