An international team investigating eastern Turkey's Durupinar Formation near Mount Ararat has detected strong subsurface anomalies and distinct internal layers using specialized radar technology.
The survey, led by Dr Khosrow Bakhtar, used a subsurface imaging system called BakhtarRadar to probe deeper beneath the 515-foot-long geological formation than previous scans.
The research team believes the boat-shaped formation could contain the petrified remains of Noah's Ark, challenging long-held scientific assertions that the site is merely a solid mass of natural rock.
BakhtarRadar was developed through US Air Force research to analyze subterranean structures and mineral compositions. The system allows scientists to differentiate between natural host rock formations and preserved wood.
Bakhtar said his team is carefully evaluating the subsurface data to plan a core drilling pattern at the site. "My team and I are carefully evaluating the collected subsurface data, which aids in planning the core drilling pattern to be performed at the site," Bakhtar shared.
"We will use BakhtarRadar's unique capability to directly distinguish any still preserved petrified, man-worked timbers from the natural host formation and its varying mineralogy," Bakhtar added.
The team expects to release a preliminary technical report in the coming weeks. The report will identify the strongest anomalies, provide a clearer view of the underlying geology, and select exact locations for targeted core drilling to retrieve physical samples from inside the formation.
Subsurface radar scans
Andrew Jones, the founder of research group Noah's Ark Scans and a member of the investigation team, said deeper readings processed so far have yet to reveal a clear boundary between the formation and the underlying bedrock.
"We believe the Durupınar Formation is the remains of Noah’s Ark, and that is exactly why we want to put it through the strongest scientific testing we can," Jones said.
However, researchers acknowledged that the results remain preliminary and that radar anomalies alone do not prove an archaeological origin.
According to the Bible, the massive vessel saved Noah, his family, and every kind of animal from annihilation during a catastrophic flood. Biblical chronologies place the event more than 4,300 years ago, stating the flood drowned the Earth for 150 days before the vessel came to rest on the "mountains of Ararat."
Located 18 miles south of Mount Ararat, Turkey's highest peak, the Durupinar Formation sits near a mountain with a peak that some believe matches the vessel's shape and dimensions. The Bible describes the Ark as 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high, which equals roughly 515 feet long, 86 feet wide, and 52 feet tall. A cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger.
Biblical dimensions and discovery
The formation remained unknown to the modern world until May 1948, when heavy rains and earthquakes washed away surrounding mud. A Kurdish shepherd subsequently discovered the revealed structure.
While many scientists argue that the formation is a naturally occurring geological feature formed by mudflow debris, others are convinced it points to something far more extraordinary.
Jones has been investigating the site since 2016, using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to look deeper underground. GPR is a non-invasive geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image subsurface structures.
Jones discovered what he believes is a network of subterranean corridors converging on a hollow central chamber he dubbed the atrium. He linked the discovery to the biblical description of the Ark, which describes three internal levels built to shelter Noah, his family, and pairs of animals.
"God told Noah to bring the animals in. And so these animals would have stayed there, plus Noah and his family," Jones told GB News.
Subterranean voids and corridors
In 2024, Jones revealed that radar scans captured a series of right-angled structures located approximately 20 feet beneath the surface. Researchers believe these features could represent rooms situated below a deck-like platform.
"What's interesting is that these voids are lining up below the ground - and they're not just random. These tunnels also follow a pattern. GPR is just a way to look below the soil using radar," Jones told GB News.
The team also conducted studies using infrared thermography (IRT), a heat-sensing imaging technology that can uncover hidden structures underground. IRT scans suggested the presence of a ship-shaped hull buried deep in the soil.
During 2024 investigations, Jones and his team collected 88 soil samples from inside and outside the formation. Soil testing showed extremely high levels of potassium, consistent with massive amounts of decomposed lumber.
"However, due to the extremely cold climate, many parts of the Ark are still intact and petrified. It spends almost six months out of the year completely frozen," Noah's Ark Scans explained in an X post.
Core drilling and future testing
In Genesis 6:14, the Bible describes the construction of the vessel: "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."
Jones told The Christian Broadcasting Network that the findings challenge geological explanations. "This is not what you'd expect to see if the site were simply a solid block of rock or the result of random mudflow debris," Jones said. "But it is exactly what you'd expect to find if this were a man-made boat, consistent with the biblical specifications of Noah's Ark."
Researchers also noted a surface anomaly during soil testing. "We noticed that the grass growing within the boat-shaped formation is a different color compared to the area just outside it," Jones said, suggesting the difference points toward a man-made origin.
William Crabtree, another member of Noah's Ark Scans, added that a tunnel appears to run from the tip of the formation toward the middle, and it is large enough to walk through.
The research team aims to return to the site next season to perform core drilling and insert cameras into internal chambers. "The ultimate goal is not just soil test, which is great, or GPR scans, but to get inside the ship somehow," Jones told Patterns of Evidence.
"Core drilling, getting samples deep inside of it to where we see the substructure, these voids, put a camera in it. This is an opportunity coming up that possibly will allow us to do that next season," Jones added. "Whatever happens, whenever God opens doors, we will continue working on the site."
