Researchers investigating a boat-shaped formation in eastern Turkey say recent drilling and soil analysis have produced findings they believe warrant further investigation into claims that the site could be linked to Noah’s Ark.
The investigation centres on the Durupınar formation near Mount Ararat, a roughly 538-foot-long structure first identified in 1959. While its shape and location have attracted decades of speculation about the biblical account, previous geological research has concluded that it is a natural rock formation.
The latest fieldwork was conducted by the Noah’s Ark Research Project, with support from Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University. Researchers collected more than 300 soil samples from different depths inside and outside the formation and carried out deep-core drilling to depths of more than 60 feet in some areas.
Andrew Jones, founder of Noah’s Ark Scans and vice president of the research project, said the team did not encounter the continuous bedrock expected by critics of the Ark theory during its latest drilling.
“When we drilled into the formation this year for the first time, we did not encounter any solid block of rock, of limestone, [or] of any type of a rock,” Jones said. “We were hitting mainly soil.”
The researchers also reported finding deposits of dark, rich soil within the formation. They plan to subject the samples to further laboratory testing to determine their organic content and establish whether they contain evidence of human activity or material that could be associated with decayed wood.
“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 said.
The latest work builds on soil sampling carried out in 2024. According to Jones, researchers found about three times more organic matter in samples collected inside the formation than in samples taken outside it, alongside differences in potassium levels and pH.
“Near [the] surface, we’re seeing a difference in the soil,” Jones said of the earlier findings. “Let’s go deeper this year and see what we can find.”
Researchers say the laboratory analysis will be important in determining whether the differences have a natural explanation or could point to human activity.
The Durupınar formation has remained controversial since it was identified more than six decades ago. Geologists Lorence Gene Collins and David Franklin Fasold concluded in a 1996 study that the structure was “a natural rock structure,” challenging claims that it represented the remains of Noah’s Ark.
Recent discoveries near the site have also generated interest. Ancient pottery fragments have been reported in the area, although Jones clarified that the pottery was found beside the formation rather than inside it. He said its style could date from the early Chalcolithic period through the Iron Age.
The research team says its fieldwork has now been completed, but the investigation remains inconclusive pending laboratory results.
“We still have the lab work to do,” Jones said.
The findings therefore do not establish that the Durupınar formation is Noah’s Ark, but researchers say the results provide additional material for testing the long-standing claim against geological explanations of the site.
Ademide Adebayo
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