Archaeologists drilling into Turkey's boat-shaped Durupinar Formation declare they are '100% certain' they have found Noah's Ark

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026 · last updated 26 September 2026.

Researchers from Noah's Ark Scans have carried out core drilling at the Durupinar Formation near Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey, bringing up organic material from depths of nearly 60 feet that they believe may be the decayed remnants of the biblical vessel. Andrew Jones, who founded the project and has studied the site for close to three decades, says early radar readings argue against the long-standing view that the structure is a glacially sculpted block of solid limestone. A map drawn in 1587 by Italian cartographer Urbano Monte — which spans nearly 10 feet across when fully assembled — appears to place Noah's Ark at exactly the same spot as the Durupinar Formation. Scans have uncovered structural layering, right-angle intersections, and a dense subsurface stratum that separates into three distinct sections, consistent with the biblical instruction for Noah to construct three decks.

The 515-foot formation matches the Bible's stated dimensions of 300 Egyptian cubits in length and 50 cubits in width.

An underground robot named Gopher, originally designed to track wombats, was sent into drill holes to capture the first footage from inside the structure.

A 1996 geological study called the Noah's Ark theory 'bogus' — and the team's findings have not yet been independently confirmed.