Researchers Drill 60 Feet Into Durupınar Site, Send 300 Samples for Noah's Ark Analysis
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 2
Researchers Drill 60 Feet Into Durupınar Site, Send 300 Samples for Noah's Ark Analysis
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 2
Summary
More than 300 soil samples and deep-core material from over 60 feet below the Durupınar formation are now in lab analysis after researchers completed their first full field season at the eastern Turkey site.
The drilling followed 2024 tests that found soil inside the formation had three times more organic matter, 38% more potassium and different pH levels than soil outside it.
Andrew Jones said the team is testing for signs of human activity or decayed wood and argues the drilling did not hit a continuous solid rock mass, only soil with some boulders.
The boat-shaped site near Mount Ararat has been debated since its 1959 identification, with geologists concluding in a 1996 paper that it is a natural rock structure.
Researchers say the fieldwork is finished but broader conclusions await winter lab results, and even the project backs caution over linking the formation to Noah's Ark.