Noah's Ark mystery enters new phase as researchers probe deep beneath site

Researchers investigating the site believed by some to be the remains of Noah's Ark have completed their first full field season, drilling more than 60 feet beneath the site and collecting hundreds of samples for laboratory analysis.

The Noah's Ark Research Project, supported by Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, has spent the past year collecting soil samples at the Durupınar site near Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey. The site, first identified in 1959, has long been the subject of speculation about a possible connection to the biblical story of Noah's Ark.

Researchers have continued to investigate the site over the years, and a recent field season saw the use of deep-core drilling and other methods to probe beneath the formation. During the latest field season, researchers collected over 300 soil samples from varying depths inside and outside the formation, with some samples reaching depths of 20 meters, or more than 60 feet.

The team's vice president, Andrew Jones, said that the decision to drill deeper followed earlier sampling in 2024 that showed differences between soil collected inside and outside the formation. Those samples contained three times more organic matter inside the site, along with 38% more potassium and differences in pH.

Jones said that the team hopes the analysis of the collected samples will help determine whether there are signs of human activity or materials consistent with decayed wood beneath the formation. The researchers are investigating whether the boat-shaped formation could contain the remains of a man-made structure.

Jones noted that the team's drilling results raise questions about previous explanations of the site as a natural rock formation. While the team encountered boulders in some locations, Jones said researchers did not find a consistent, solid block of rock beneath the formation.

The team is still studying its results, and laboratory analysis is ongoing. Jones cautioned that it is too early to draw conclusions, and the team is urging people not to jump to conclusions about the site's significance.