Could Noah's Ark remains be buried in Turkey? New findings revive age-old debate

Andrew Jones, a researcher with Noah's Ark Scans, said in a recent appearance on "Fox & Friends" the team believes a site in Turkey contains the buried remains of the biblical vessel.

Some geologists argue the "ark" is a naturally occurring formation, yet other researchers say the latest findings offer new support for the biblical vessel theory.

One source of skepticism is a 1996 paper published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Geoscience Education that argued the formation was a natural geological structure, not the remains of Noah's Ark.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Jones said he believes the new results "are perhaps the most compelling evidence for a man-made origin."

He added, "The differences between the 'inside' and 'outside' samples are statistically staggering. Organic matter was three times more inside the boat shape versus the soil just right outside."

That difference in organic matter, he said, suggests a "massive concentration of decayed carbon-based material," such as wood, resin or animal matter.

But in the 1996 paper, authors Lorence Gene Collins and David Franklin Fasold described previous Noah's Ark claims as "bogus," writing that the site was instead "a natural rock structure."

The latest findings center on a newly released soil analysis, which researchers say points to chemical differences consistent with decayed organic material beneath the surface.

The soil samples were collected in 2024 and have been analyzed in the months since.

Researchers found 38% more potassium inside the boat shape, which is associated with wood ash, as well as an eight-times difference in pH level.

"An eight-times difference in pH and three times the organic matter suggests a 'closed system' where biological materials decayed over time, leaching minerals into the surrounding earth and permanently altering its chemistry," he said.

The findings will likely fuel further debate over the Durupinar formation.

But the new data, Jones said, "suggests an internal complexity that is difficult to attribute to natural geological processes."

Said Jones, "We've moved from asking 'Does it look like a boat?' to 'Why is there a three-layered, right-angled inside structure, carbon-rich boat formation the exact length of Noah's ark given in the Bible buried in the middle of a mountainside in the mountains of Ararat?'"

He has also pointed to scan data showing subsurface features within the formation.

"We really believe that this layout ... would suggest that it's a man-made object and not just a natural formation," he said.

The research builds on previous 3D ground penetrating radar scans from 2019 that "struck subsurface features" and found anomalies. 

Max Bacall of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.