Introduction As described in The Saga of Erik the Red, Greenland was first settled around 985 AD by former Icelander Erik the Red and his group of followers. Erik was exiled from Iceland in 982 AD for murder, so he journeyed to the west. He settled at the currently known Eastern Settlement, found at the tip of Greenland, claiming a piece of land for himself. Some of his group continued farther north and settled at what is now known as the Western Settlement, farther north on the western side of Greenland (Thorsson, 2001). The settlement of Greenland was also portrayed in the Saga of the Greenlanders, with a few discrepancies between the two sagas. After settling the island at the end of the 10th century, the colonies of Greenland died out
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One method often used to date objects is radiocarbon dating, which works by comparing isotopes of carbon and their half-lives. This is an especially accurate method because it is unfazed by chemical, temperature, and physical changes so the timing will be correct no matter what. Another form of dating is using soil, sediment, or peat build-up. Since the build-up of these materials occurs in chronological order if undisturbed, it can show a timeline of objects and events. It can also show environmental events like fires to give an idea of what the climate might have been like and if there were any significant weather events. To get a better picture of what the weather and climate were like on a yearly basis, scientists can look to ice cores and dendrochronology, dating using tree rings. By looking at greenhouse gas concentrations in layers of ice cores, scientists can compare the concentrations to different temperatures to get an idea of the climate in the past. This can also show climate stability, cycles, and snow accumulation over the years. Dendrochronology is also used to learn about weather in the past by looking at how fast a tree grows in different conditions. This can also be helpful when dating wood found near settlements by comparing it to known tree-ring patterns from different time
One method often used to date objects is radiocarbon dating, which works by comparing isotopes of carbon and their half-lives. This is an especially accurate method because it is unfazed by chemical, temperature, and physical changes so the timing will be correct no matter what. Another form of dating is using soil, sediment, or peat build-up. Since the build-up of these materials occurs in chronological order if undisturbed, it can show a timeline of objects and events. It can also show environmental events like fires to give an idea of what the climate might have been like and if there were any significant weather events. To get a better picture of what the weather and climate were like on a yearly basis, scientists can look to ice cores and dendrochronology, dating using tree rings. By looking at greenhouse gas concentrations in layers of ice cores, scientists can compare the concentrations to different temperatures to get an idea of the climate in the past. This can also show climate stability, cycles, and snow accumulation over the years. Dendrochronology is also used to learn about weather in the past by looking at how fast a tree grows in different conditions. This can also be helpful when dating wood found near settlements by comparing it to known tree-ring patterns from different time