Noah's Ark researchers ‘inching towards’ confirmation after drilling challenges natural-rock theory

A team investigating a boat-shaped formation in eastern Turkey says new evidence is strengthening its case that the site could hold the remains of Noah's Ark.

"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," Noah's Ark Scans founder Andrew Jones told "Saturday in America."

The focus of the investigation is the Durupınar formation, an approximately 538-foot-long geological structure near Mount Ararat. Its shape and proximity to the region identified in the biblical account have fascinated Ark hunters for decades.

The boat-shaped formation was first discovered in 1959 and has long-drawn speculation over a possible connection to Noah's Ark.

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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.

"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. "Well, we've core drilled… over 12 locations. We did not find bedrock at all."

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Researchers say new soil analysis from Turkey's Durupinar formation shows chemical differences consistent with decayed organic material. (Huseyin Yildiz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Jones said the drilling uncovered rich black soil, which researchers plan to test for organic content this winter at Ankara University.

"Noah's Ark was a giant wooden boat, according to the Bible," he said.

"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."

The researchers hope the analysis will help determine whether there are signs of human activity or materials consistent with decayed wood beneath the formation.

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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.

Fox News' Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.