一支正在调查土耳其东部一处船形地质构造的团队表示，最新证据进一步强化了他们的推测——该地点很可能就是诺亚方舟的遗迹。
A team investigating a boat-shaped formation in eastern Turkey says new evidence is strengthening its case that the site could hold the remains of Noah's Ark.
“在考古学中，我们处理的是各种可能性。目前我们正在逐步接近最终结论。待与合作方锡瓦斯大学完成土壤分析后，预计今年冬季就能得到证实。”诺亚方舟探测项目的创始人安德鲁·琼斯在接受《Saturday in America》采访时说道。此次调查的重点是杜鲁皮纳尔构造，这是一处位于阿拉拉特山附近、长约538英尺的地质结构。其独特的形状以及与《圣经》记载中诺亚方舟出现地点的相近性，几十年来一直令众多“方舟搜寻者”着迷不已。
"In archaeology, you deal with probabilities, and we're inching towards where we believe we will have confirmation this winter after our soil analysis is done with Sivas University, who's our partner in this," Noah's Ark Scans founder Andrew Jones told "Saturday in America." The focus of the investigation is the Durupınar formation, an approximately 538-foot-long geological structure near Mount Ararat. Its shape and proximity to the region identified in the biblical account have fascinated Ark hunters for decades. The boat-shaped formation was first discovered in 1959 and has long-drawn speculation over a possible connection to Noah's Ark.
这一船形构造最早发现于1959年，此后便引发了人们关于其是否与诺亚方舟存在关联的种种猜测。
尽管不少批评者坚称该构造纯属自然形成，但琼斯指出，最近的钻探作业、土壤采样以及地面穿透雷达探测为他的团队提供了反驳这一观点的新依据。
SITE WHERE JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED AND BURIED REVEALS NEW EVIDENCE THAT BACKS BIBLICAL ACCOUNT Critics have maintained that the formation is naturally occurring, but Jones said recent drilling, soil sampling and ground-penetrating radar have given his team new reasons to challenge that conclusion.
“过去那些批评者称，各种扫描结果都可以有不同的解读方式，比如‘这不过是块坚硬的岩石、一个向斜构造或者一块基岩罢了’。”琼斯说道，“然而我们在12个不同地点进行了钻探取样，结果完全没有发现任何基岩。”
"They've criticized in the past, saying all those scans you can interpret different ways, 'This is a solid mass of rock, a syncline or a block of bedrock,'" Jones said. "Well, we've core drilled… over 12 locations. We did not find bedrock at all."
琼斯还透露，钻探过程中发现了大量黑色肥沃土壤，研究人员计划今年冬季在安卡拉大学对这些土壤的有机成分进行检测。
AUTHOR DINESH D'SOUZA CHALLENGES BIBLE SKEPTICS WITH 'STARTLING' ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES Jones said the drilling uncovered rich black soil, which researchers plan to test for organic content this winter at Ankara University.
“根据《圣经》记载，诺亚方舟是一艘巨大的木制船只。”他补充道。
"Noah's Ark was a giant wooden boat, according to the Bible," he said.
“随着木材逐渐腐烂，土壤中会积累大量有机物质。今年，我们在对地层进行钻探时，并未发现批评者所说的那种坚硬岩层。不过我们确实发现了大量富含养分的黑色土壤，其中理应含有较高的有机成分。”研究人员希望通过分析来确认，在该地层下方是否存在人类活动的痕迹，或是与腐烂木材相关的物质。
"As wood decays, you're gonna find elevated organic matter. This year, as we drilled into the formation, we did not find a solid rock layer, like the critics said. But we did find large deposits of highly rich black soil that has hopefully high organics." The researchers hope the analysis will help determine whether there are signs of human activity or materials consistent with decayed wood beneath the formation.
琼斯还提到2024年开展的一项土壤调查，结果显示在这个船形地层内的土壤中，有机物质含量是地层外围样本的三倍之多。福克斯新闻的安德里亚·马戈利斯对本文亦有贡献。
Jones also pointed to a 2024 soil survey that he said contained three times more organic matter inside the boat-shaped formation than samples collected just outside it.