New evidence has been uncovered that suggests the Vikings may have discovered North America about 500 years before Christopher Columbus made his famous journey to the New World.

Scientists claim to have uncovered what they believe to be a Viking settlement on the Canadian island of Newfoundland that has probably been built between 800AD and 1300AD, as Daily Mail reports.

This is the second known Viking site to be found in North America which will help to confirm that Vikings were the first Europeans to reach America.

It was discovered in an area called Point Rosee in southern Newfoundland, about 400 miles (643km) south west of a Viking settlement found in L’Anse aux Meadows during the 1960s.

Dr Sarah Parcak, an archaeologist at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, said: ‘This new site could unravel more secrets about the Vikings, whether they were the first Europeans to ‘occupy’ briefly in North America and reveal that the Vikings dared to explore much further into the New World than we ever thought.

During excavations, the archaeologists uncovered evidence possible bog iron ore processing.

They discovered around 28lbs of slag in a hearth that they believe was used to roast iron ore before it was smelted in a furnace.

Blackened stones, scorched by the extreme heat in this process, were also uncovered.