Prehistoric "settlement crisis," environmental changes in the British Isles, and volcanic eruptions in Iceland: An exploration of plausible linkages

Prehistoric volcanic eruptions in Iceland have been previously described as the most probable causes of several distinctive paleoenvironmental and archeological "events" in the British Isles. These events range in character from the development of sequences of extremely narrow growth rings in the Irish bog-oak tree-ring chronologies, to an inferred sudden abandonment of settlement in northern Scotland, an event sometimes termed the "Settlement Crisis" of the European Late Bronze Age. This chapter presents a theoretical analysis of plausible interactions that may have taken place, especially those concerning erupted acid volatiles, the prevailing meteorological situation, soil status, acidification, and human subsistence. It pays particular attention to models and information derived from modern understandings of the nature and impact of volcanic eruptions and emphasizes the desirability of maintaining a healthy skepticism concerning the reality of such linkages.