<P> Ari Thorgilsson claims in Íslendingabók that the country had been "fully settled" in 930 . The age of settlement is considered to have ended in the year 930 with the establishment of Alþingi . Archeological evidence shows however "that immigrants continued to arrive in Iceland throughout the 10th century". The authors of one study speculate that "continued immigration may have been needed to sustain the population". </P> <P> The Icelandic Commonwealth is considered to have begun in 930 . </P> <P> Scholars have argued that the settlers caused soil erosion through extensive deforestation and overgrazing . One study suggests that the primary motive for the deforestation was "clearance for pastures and home - fields", not the "settlers' requirements for fuel and building material". </P>

When did the vikings first go to iceland