kya

Units & Measurements abbreviation · Time

kya
Stands forThousand years ago
CategoriesUnits & Measurements

kya stands for Thousand years ago, a time abbreviation.

Abbreviation for dating recent prehistory such as human migrations and ice ages. The Last Glacial Maximum peaked about 20 kya, and humans had reached the Americas by at least 15 kya.

Example: Modern humans spread out of Africa roughly 60 to 70 kya.

Usage notes

Also written ka (kiloannum), the form preferred in geology journals, or "kyr ago". Archaeologists working with radiocarbon dates usually write BP instead. The Younger Dryas, an abrupt return to near-glacial conditions, began about 12.9 kya.

More time abbreviations

  • H2 – Second half
  • hh:mm:ss – Hours:minutes:seconds
  • hr – Hour
  • hrs – Hours (military time)
  • ISO 8601 – International date and time standard (ISO 8601)
  • JD – Julian date (Julian Day number)
  • m – Minute (informal)
  • Ma – Megaannum (million years)
  • min – Minute
  • MM – Month (two-digit, in date formats)
  • MM/DD/YYYY – Month/day/year (US date format)
  • mo – Month

See all 51 time abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.