The mean soil pH of the site is slightly acidic at 6.4. In combination with factors such as soil moisture, low pH is attributed as a significant factor in bone destruction at the site. As a result of postdepositional chemical weathering, the majority of bone recovered was closely associated with limestone cobbles that provided local areas of neutral soil. In two instances other factors apparently led to better bone preservation. A deeply buried sheet midden in Unit N may have protected bone from organic soil acids.
Calcined bone is less susceptible to chemical weathering than unburned bone.
As a result, sites where weathering of bone is a significant factor tend to have an over-representation of calcined bone. Thus, the percentage of calcined bone may be viewed as an indicator of preservation. As indicated in Figure 1 and Table 1, Cox's Woods has a much higher proportion of calcined bone than a sample from the Bundy-Voyles site which was excavated in 1995. The remaining 13 specimens were only identifiable as vertebrate remains. The balance of bird remains from the site consist of long and flat bone fragments which could only be assigned to rough size classes of Aves.