Breaking News: Noah’s Ark Has Been Found (Or Has It?)

Well, let’s first consider what the researchers from three universities in Turkey and the US claim to have found at the Durupinar formation in the mountains of Ararat. News reports share that after spending a year analyzing the rock and soil at that site,

Researchers now believe they’ve found evidence of human activity near the boat-shaped formation in the mountains from between 5500 and 3000 BC.

This “evidence of human activity” includes “clayey materials, marine materials, and seafood,” dated to between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago (the global flood described in Genesis was 4,350 years ago). After highlighting what the study revealed, the researchers note:

With the dating, it is not possible to say that the ship is here. . . . We need to work for a long time to reveal this.

So (despite the headlines!) the researchers aren’t claiming to have found the remains of Noah’s ark. They simply believe they’ve found evidence of human activity at a site that has been promoted as a potential ark resting site for many years (as we’ve noted before, it appears the “boat-shaped” formation that makes this site so popular is just a natural formation). So is that where the ark landed? We still don’t know!

It’s worth noting that, after describing the new study, the popular science author writes,

Human activity, however, does not a Biblical account prove. . . . Despite the hype, archaeologists have consistently reaffirmed over the years that the formation is natural, not the result of a petrified shipwreck, and that there is no geologic record of a global flood like the one described in religious texts. (emphasis added)

But what do we find? Well, we find billions of dead things, buried in rock layers, laid down by water all over the earth. We find rock layers that stretch across vast distances or layers bent while still soft. We find fossil graveyards where land and sea creatures are buried in a jumbled mess. We find miles of sediment that were laid down by water. In other words, we find exactly what we’d expect geologically if there really was a global flood!

Yes, there is a geological record of the global flood of Noah’s day, but sadly, most geologists reject what’s right in front of them because they are assuming millions of years of slow, gradual processes.

Yes, there is a geological record of the global flood of Noah’s day, but sadly, most geologists reject what’s right in front of them because they are assuming millions of years of slow, gradual processes.

So was Noah’s ark found? No, but the study is interesting, and as research continues, we will keep an eye on the results. But does this in any way change what we believe about the Bible? Not at all. God’s Word is true, whether or not Noah’s ark is ever discovered. And if people want evidence for the global flood, they don’t need the ark—the rocks (especially fossil layers) quite literally cry out for the truth of God’s Word!

Get More Answers on Answers News

This item was discussed today on Answers News with cohosts Dr. Gabriela Haynes, Rob Webb, and Patricia Engler. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum, broadcast on our Answers in Genesis YouTube channel, and posted to Answers TV. We also covered the following topics:

• Only 3% of children have what’s needed for a “biblical worldview.”
• Do most Americans still believe in creation?
• Do we need to eat meat?
• And more!

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Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.