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Researchers Drill into Boat-Shaped Formation in Turkey, Seeking Noah's Ark Evidence
Confirmed
In Short: Andrew Jones, deputy head of the Noah's Ark Research Project, says core drilling and radar scans at a boat-shaped geological formation in eastern Turkey have produced promising results.
Researchers with a Sivas Cumhuriyet University-led project have completed on-site studies at a boat-shaped geological formation in Ağrı’s Doğubayazıt district, Turkey, that some believe could be the remains of Noah’s Ark.
The formation was first discovered in 1959 by Army Capt. Ilhan Durupınar, who was surveying Eastern Anatolia for the Turkish Armed Forces.
Andrew Jones, an American researcher and deputy head of the team, said core drilling produced continuous soil samples, while radar scans detected several anomalies beneath the surface.
Jones noted that previous research had largely focused on the visible ship-shaped formation on the surface, but this time, the team conducted extensive drilling and soil sampling to investigate beneath the surface.
The team used drones to model the terrain and a new-generation radar system to scan beneath the surface, collecting about 1,000 soil samples from different points and sending them to laboratories for analysis.
Jones emphasized that the drilling uncovered rich black soil, which researchers plan to test for organic content this winter at Ankara University.
"In archaeology, you deal with probabilities, and we're inching towards where we believe we will have confirmation this winter after our soil analysis is done with Sivas University, who's our partner in this," Jones told Fox News Digital.
"Noah's Ark was a giant wooden boat, according to the Bible. As wood decays, you're gonna find elevated organic matter. This year, as we drilled into the formation, we did not find a solid rock layer, like the critics said. But we did find large deposits of highly rich black soil that has hopefully high organics," Jones added.
"Some people want to make statements before they have gathered all the facts," Jones said, emphasizing the need for further laboratory studies and final reports.
"If it is really true, we hope it will be very good for Türkiye and the world," Jones said, expressing cautious optimism about the potential findings.
What this adds
The discovery of the boat-shaped formation in 1959 led to numerous studies by both Turkish and foreign researchers, with many speculating about its connection to Noah's Ark.
About 20 scientists from five countries spent nearly 90 days studying the formation between the villages of Telçeker and Üzengili.
The team's findings challenge previous claims that the formation is a natural rock mass eroded over millions of years, suggesting it could be man-made.
What's confirmed
- Researchers with a Sivas Cumhuriyet University-led project have completed on-site studies at a boat-shaped geological formation in Ağrı’s Doğubayazıt district, Turkey, that some believe could be the remains of Noah’s Ark.
- The formation was first discovered in 1959 by Army Capt. Ilhan Durupınar, who was surveying Eastern Anatolia for the Turkish Armed Forces.
- Andrew Jones, an American researcher and deputy head of the team, said core drilling produced continuous soil samples, while radar scans detected several anomalies beneath the surface.
- Jones noted that previous research had largely focused on the visible ship-shaped formation on the surface, but this time, the team conducted extensive drilling and soil sampling to investigate beneath the surface.
- The team used drones to model the terrain and a new-generation radar system to scan beneath the surface, collecting about 1,000 soil samples from different points and sending them to laboratories for analysis.
- Jones emphasized that the drilling uncovered rich black soil, which researchers plan to test for organic content this winter at Ankara University.
- "In archaeology, you deal with probabilities, and we're inching towards where we believe we will have confirmation this winter after our soil analysis is done with Sivas University, who's our partner in this," Jones told Fox News Digital.
- "Noah's Ark was a giant wooden boat, according to the Bible. As wood decays, you're gonna find elevated organic matter. This year, as we drilled into the formation, we did not find a solid rock layer, like the critics said. But we did find large deposits of highly rich black soil that has hopefully high organics," Jones added.
- "Some people want to make statements before they have gathered all the facts," Jones said, emphasizing the need for further laboratory studies and final reports.
- "If it is really true, we hope it will be very good for Türkiye and the world," Jones said, expressing cautious optimism about the potential findings.
What's still developing
- “Some people had suggested that this was a natural formation, a solid rock mass that had eroded over millions of years and taken the shape of a ship,” Jones said.
- “This could be a natural formation, or it could be a man-made structure. What we are doing now is investigating it using scientific methods,” he said.
- “This was one of the reasons we carried out drilling. We wanted to reach those depths and collect samples,” Jones said.
- The discovery led numerous Turkish and foreign researchers to study the area amid claims that it could be the remains of Noah’s Ark.
- About 20 scientists from five countries spent nearly 90 days studying the formation between the villages of Telçeker and Üzengili.
- The focus of the investigation is the Durupınar formation, an approximately 538-foot-long geological structure near Mount Ararat.
- Scientists who have researched at Turkey's Durupinar site say they've found convincing evidence regarding the Noah's Ark hypothesis. (NoahsArkScans.com) Critics have maintained that the formation is naturally occurring, but Jones said recent drilling, soil sampling and ground-penetrating radar have given his team new reasons to challenge that conclusion.
- Jones also pointed to a 2024 soil survey that he said contained three times more organic matter inside the boat-shaped formation than samples collected just outside it.
- "Well, we've core drilled… over 12 locations. We did not find bedrock at all."
- “There are still laboratory studies to be conducted and final reports to be written. So our work is not finished, and we cannot make such a statement until it is,” he said.
- "They've criticized in the past, saying all those scans you can interpret different ways, 'This is a solid mass of rock, a syncline or a block of bedrock,'" Jones said.