Quest for evidence of ark disappoints

A Northland man's expedition to prove the existence of Noah's Ark has failed to shed any new light on the subject.
Computer programmer Ross Patterson, of Whangarei, travelled to Turkey last month to take samples from a site he believes contains the remnants of the Biblical Noah's Ark.
According to the Bible, Noah was commanded by God to build the ark and herd two specimens of all animal life into it before a great flood which lasted 40 days and 40 nights.
Mr Patterson, a devout Christian, believes there is strong evidence that the events occurred and the ark lies buried beneath a mound of earth 2000 metres above sea level.
Along with three others, Mr Patterson revisited the site, which lies 12 kilometres from Mt Ararat, to gather more evidence to support earlier research carried out by controversial American author the late Ron Wyatt.
Mr Wyatt had claimed to have found petrified timber and rivets made of iron existed under the surface of the mound.
A radar scan of the site also showed that structures resembling bulkheads existed under the surface and large stones found at nearby villages resemble drogue or anchor stones.
Mr Patterson's group had spent 10 days investigating the site and placed a small camera into a hole that Mr Wyatt had drilled into the side of the mound to see if any man-made structures lay below the surface.
However, the 1.5m deep hole only revealed rubble and the group was later informed that it was possible that a number of drilling operations may have been carried out at the site.
"It wasn't the hole where he (Mr Wyatt) found animal hairs. In that sense we are a little disappointed,"Mr Patterson said.
However, a number of samples from the site are being tested in Wellington to find out if recovered material is petrified wood.
"If it contains organic carbon it confirms that it was once living material."
Mr Patterson said the trip had not provided conclusive evidence of his claim, but was hopeful that another scan to be carried out next year by an American University, would provide proof.
He plans to return to Turkey next year for the project.
"It (the trip) was a step in the right direction but not as big a step as we would have liked. We didn't find the hole he (Wyatt) took the samples from, in that sense it was a little disappointing."
Mr Patterson also visited other religious sites in Israel, Jordan and Egypt.