A boat-shaped rock formation on Turkey's Mount Ararat, first spotted more than six decades ago, is drawing fresh attention after a researcher told GB News that ground-penetrating radar, soil analysis, and subsurface tunnels point to something far more than a geological oddity. Andrew Jones, a researcher with the group Noah's Ark Scans, said the findings line up with the biblical dimensions of the vessel described in Genesis.

The formation sits roughly 6,500 feet above sea level. Jones said radar scans and soil samples reportedly match the 515-foot dimensions long associated with Noah's Ark. Whether the site holds the remains of a man-made structure or is simply an unusual natural feature remains an open question, but the data Jones describes, if confirmed by independent review, would mark one of the most significant developments in biblical archaeology in years.

For believers and skeptics alike, the site has been a lightning rod since its discovery in 1959. What makes this round of claims different is the specificity: numbered samples, chemical ratios, geophysical techniques, and plans for robotic exploration of underground passages.

What the scans and samples show

Jones described a pattern of subsurface voids that he said are not random. He told GB News that the tunnels follow a consistent layout beneath the soil, detected through ground-penetrating radar, known as GPR, and a second geophysical method called IRT.

As the New York Post reported, Jones framed the underground features in biblical terms:

"God told Noah to bring the animals in. And so these animals would have stayed there, plus Noah and his family. What's interesting is that these voids are lining up below the ground, and they're not just random."

He added that IRT studies are "showing a ship-shaped hull still preserved deep in the soil." That claim, if borne out, would distinguish the formation from the kind of mudflow debris or solid rock block that geologists might otherwise expect at such a site.

In 2024, Jones said his team collected 88 random soil samples from inside and outside the ship-shaped outline. The results, he reported, were striking: soil inside the formation contained three times more organic matter than soil immediately outside, along with 38 percent more potassium.

Jones pointed to the chemical difference as evidence that the soil composition is unique to the formation's interior. He noted that even the grass changes color in the fall, appearing yellower just inside the boundary of the shape.

Dimensions and the biblical link

The measurement Jones cited, 300 Egyptian cubits, is the length the Book of Genesis assigns to Noah's Ark. Jones said the site matches that figure precisely.

"It's exactly the link given to the Bible. It's 300 Egyptian cubits. For us, these are all positive lines that we're pursuing, and it's showing that there's more to be found."

A separate New York Post report on the same research effort described the formation, known as the Durupinar site, as a 538-foot-long boat-shaped mound. That report said researchers with Noah's Ark Scans found a possible 13-foot central tunnel and multiple subsurface layers they compared to the Bible's description of three decks. Soil samples from inside the formation showed lower pH, roughly twice the organic matter, and 40 percent more potassium than surrounding soil, which the team said could be consistent with rotting wood.

Jones told GB News in that earlier report that the findings are "exactly what you'd expect to find if this were a man-made boat, consistent with the biblical specifications of Noah's Ark." He also said the subsurface patterns are "not what you'd expect to see if the site were simply a solid block of rock or the result of random mudflow debris."

The interest in physical evidence for biblical accounts has been growing. A scholar's recent bestselling book on archaeological evidence for Jesus reflects the same appetite among readers who want to see faith claims tested against the historical record.

Flood evidence and fossil remains

Jones also pointed to broader geological evidence at the site. He said the area shows signs that it was "one time... underwater," consistent with a catastrophic flood event. Fossil remains have been noted at the site, though Jones did not specify which fossils, when they were found, or who analyzed them.

The claim of ancient submersion at 6,500 feet is itself a significant assertion. If independently verified, it would add a layer of geological context to the biblical flood narrative that has fascinated scholars and laypeople for centuries.

Stories of evidence reshaping long-held assumptions are not confined to the Old Testament. A former cold-case detective and a longtime atheist have both described how examining evidence for Christ's Resurrection changed their minds about faith.

What comes next: robotic exploration

Jones said his team is now designing a robotic, remote-controlled device to go down inside the holes and explore the tunnels beneath the formation. That step would represent a significant escalation, moving from surface-level scans and soil chemistry to direct observation of the underground passages.

"We have a team that is designing a robotic, remote-controlled device that could go down inside the holes and explore the tunnels."

If the robot confirms the tunnel patterns Jones described, it could provide visual evidence that either strengthens or undermines the case for a man-made origin. For now, the claims rest on Jones's account of the GPR data, IRT studies, and soil samples, none of which have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, as far as available reporting indicates.

The discovery theme extends well beyond biblical sites. Archaeologists recently unearthed a skeleton believed to be the real d'Artagnan beneath a Dutch church altar, a reminder that history buried underground has a way of surfacing when researchers are willing to look.

Open questions and what's missing

Several important gaps remain. No institution or entity has been named as the independent body that conducted the radar scans, IRT studies, or soil analysis. No study, report, or scan image has been publicly linked. The specific fossils found at the site have not been identified, and no timeline for the robotic exploration has been given.

Jones is the sole named researcher in the available reporting. Whether other scientists, particularly geologists or archaeologists outside the Noah's Ark Scans organization, have reviewed or replicated the findings is unclear. Independent verification would be the single most important next step in moving these claims from intriguing to credible.

Across the world, faith and evidence continue to intersect in unexpected ways. An Iranian pastor who fled the regime has described family members encountering Jesus in dreams, a different kind of testimony, but one that speaks to the same deep human search for confirmation of what Scripture teaches.

Why this matters

The secular establishment has long treated the Genesis flood account as myth. If the Durupinar site on Mount Ararat yields physical proof of a massive man-made vessel at the dimensions described in the Bible, that dismissal becomes harder to sustain. The soil chemistry, the subsurface tunnels, the ship-shaped hull detected by radar, each alone could be explained away. Together, they form a pattern that deserves serious, transparent scientific scrutiny rather than reflexive ridicule.

Jones and his team have laid out specific, testable claims. The right response is not to mock them and not to canonize them, but to demand the data, welcome independent review, and let the evidence speak.

If a 6,500-foot mountain in Turkey is hiding the remains of a ship that matches the Book of Genesis down to the cubit, the world ought to know. And if it isn't, honest inquiry will show that, too. Either way, the people who went looking deserve more respect than the people who never bothered.