Organisation
US-based independent research group, founded by Andrew Jones, that runs radar, drilling and soil studies at the Durupınar formation with Turkish university partners.
7 claimed · 12 disputed
Newsweek reported footage from Noah's Ark Scans that the group says shows a possible cavity and a distinct band matching a wooden hull at the lower end of the Durupınar formation.
On NewsNation's Unreported, Andrew Jones and Lauren Witzke said the buried wood strengthens the case for Durupınar, with Jones comparing the evidence to a court case built from several lines.
Noah's Ark Scans founder Andrew Jones discussed the Durupınar site, the charred and uncharred wood and death threats he says he has received in episode 40 of Austin Lostroh's X broadcast.
Noah's Ark Scans recapped the 2026 Durupınar season on X, citing 300+ soil samples, cores to about 20 metres, radar anomalies and charred wood it says Atila confirmed, now out for carbon-14 dating.
Lauren Witzke of Noah's Ark Scans said on X that the charred Durupınar wood is being tested for bitumen ("pitch"), tree sap and species as well as carbon-14.
↳ responds to Noah's Ark Scans says Atila confirms charred wood from Durupınar is at the lab for carbon-14 dating
An Ancient Origins fact-check rated as unverified the idea that wood sent for carbon dating from Durupınar will show the formation is Noah's Ark, while rating as established that fragments were sent to labs.
In a GlobeNewswire press release, Noah's Ark Scans said charred wood was recovered almost 30 feet deep in the Durupınar formation and sent for carbon-14 dating and species identification, and that Prof. Cenker Atila had reviewed and confirmed Khosrow Bakhtar's preliminary radar results.
In a LifeSiteNews interview, Noah's Ark Scans fundraising and marketing lead Lauren Witzke said "the Ark is real, the global flood happened" and that textbooks would have to be rewritten, and responded to critics of the drilling and radar work.
In an X post, Noah's Ark Scans shared what it called an official update from Prof. Cenker Atila that multiple pieces of charred wood recovered at Durupınar are at a laboratory for carbon-14 dating, adding that Atila says this is not proof of the Ark until results are in.
Andrew Jones told the Jerusalem Post that none of the 16 boreholes hit bedrock, which he sees as favouring the Ark view, while Prof. Cenker Atila said a radar void "can be a geological hole" and declined to call it a corridor.
In an X post, Lauren Witzke of Noah's Ark Scans summarised the 2026 radar, drilling and soil work and said the team is "at the precipice of proving the truth of Noah's Ark".
Jones told Fox News the team drilled over 60 ft and found no solid rock block, which he said should give skeptics pause; on "Saturday in America" he said he expects confirmation after this winter's soil analysis.
Noah's Ark Scans released a preliminary report in which radar developer Dr. Khosrow Bakhtar said BakhtarRadar imaged an organised, non-geological structure with corridors and chambers beneath the formation.
↳ responds to Sivas Cumhuriyet University and Noah's Ark Scans run a 2026 field season at Durupınar
Turkish fact-checker Doğruluk Payı rated partly false a viral X claim that radar found decks, tunnels and rooms six metres under Durupınar, saying the anomalies are real but unexplained.
A ministry-approved project led by Prof. Cenker Atila mapped the formation, ran GPR and core drilling, and sent soil samples to Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University for analysis; reported sample counts differ and results are pending.
Noah's Ark Scans said September 2024 soil samples showed higher organic matter and potassium inside the formation and re-analysed 2019 GPR showed right angles and corridors.
↳ responds to Noah's Ark Scans says soil tests and re-analysed radar suggest a man-made structure
IFLScience said the bold claims should be taken "with a pinch of Dead Sea salt", noting earlier claims about the site were typically dismissed by experts as natural rock formations.
The Daily Mail reported plans to excavate the boat-shaped mound, while quoting Andrew Jones that excavation would come only after non-destructive tests and a preservation plan.
Andrew Jones published a book chapter comparing 1987 and 2019 field studies, integrating ground-penetrating radar and LiDAR data from the Durupınar formation.