The cal prefix indicates that the dates are the result of radiocarbon calibration using tree ring data. These values should correspond exactly to normal historical years BC and AD. The term cal BP means the number of years before 1950 and can be directly compared to calendar years.

What does BP stand for in years?

Before Present Before Present (BP) years, or years before present is a time scale used mainly in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events occurred before the origin of practical radiocarbon dating in the 1950s.

What is ka cal BP?

K. Kris Hirst. Updated July 03, 2019. The scientific term cal BP is an abbreviation for calibrated years before the present or calendar years before the present and that is a notation which signifies that the raw radiocarbon date cited has been corrected using current methodologies.

Is BCE the same as BP?

But the dates themselves are exactly comparable to dates expressed as A.D. or B.C. For example, 1280 C.E. is the same year as A.D. 1280, and 228 B.C.E. is the same year as 228 B.C. B.P. (Before the Present) is the number of years before the present.

What does M mean before a year?

S = student member. M = (full) member. SM = senior member. F = fellow.