At https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/10/turkey-formation-drilling-discovery/ …. we have a press release that has done the rounds and is now on Daily Galaxy in more or less the same format. It concerns Durupinar, the boat shaped formation on the Mount Ararat complex. Not at the summit but at a lesser height. This formation has intrigued Biblicists and the public for decades. In the 1960s, the claim was that they had found the fabled Noah’s Ark – its remains. When it was established it was a rock formation the narrative turned to fossilisation of the Ark. It remains intriguing for one reason – it has a shape that could be construed as boat like. There has also been a succession of researchers driven by the idea of bringing the Bible to life. Quite why a wooden boat would have survived over such a long period has been a lesser consideration. There is also the problem that the location of the Ark is disputed by people living in the region. Another mountain in what is now Kurdistan is favoured. Nevertheless, you can’t stop a good story leaking out. Durupinar continues to attract researchers in spite of mainstream insisting it is a geological rock formation. They would wouldn’t they, has been the response it would seem.
Some 20 researchers from 5 different countries collected hundreds of soil samples from inside and outside the Durupinar formation – some of which reached as far as deep as 60 feet. Drilling into the top of the formation. A laboratory analysis has not at the moment been done. The press release may be a way of keeping their sponsors onboard and interested. They are seeking evidence of human activity in the soil, or even, decaying wood. What they did not find in the interior was rock. That is the finding that is being currently publicised.
We don’t know for the moment, if the outside boat like shape was rock, or not. As this is not mentioned we may assume it was rock – and it looks like rock from the image at the link above. Sedimentary rock is of course fossilised material – such as limestones and mudstones etc. Hence, the idea of fossilisation of a wooden object is not out of kilter with basic geology. However, there s the possibility they have been drilling into the crater of an extinct volcano. Fox News, for example, came up with the information that carbon levels from the samples were around 40 per cent higher that what is normally found in soil. This is not confirmed by laboratory analysis of the samples so how this measurement came about is intriguing of itself. The researchers, on the other hand, suggest it might represent a high concentration of organic matter in the soil. It could also reflect co2 released in a volcanic explosion – material falling back into the crater. There is also the problem that two ancient settlements once existed near the site – but the researchers suggest they may have been people living beside it in the aftermath of the flood etc. Volcanic soils are incredibly rich in nutrients and attract people, so another piece of the jigsaw to be looked at in the future. Whatever will be found in the samples will be interesting – to mainstream as much as the Biblicists. Aerial photography shows the formation walls are roughly oval in shape. This is clear in the same story at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-16070205/ … See also https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/noah-s-ark-mystery-deepens-as-archaeologists-drill-mount-ararat-site-for-ancient-wood-clues/ar-AA2dLn9t … Wikipedia claims the formation only emerged after an earthquake and mudslide in 1948. It was hidden prior to then. There is of course another possibility for the Noah Ark story and that is that the ark was a celestial phenomenon, a view suggested by legendary material connecting it with the giant Og. You can look him up on the Internet.
At https://phys.org/news/2026-10-geologists-uncover-evidence-late-cretaceous.html …