The net tectonic rotation method is an alternative to paleomagnetic tilt corrections. The method was originally developed for sedimentary rocks and lavas, which have paleohorizontal indicators, but was later adapted for dikes by assuming that dikes intrude vertically. We conduct multiple numerical experiments that demonstrate geometric flaws in the net tectonic rotation method if dikes are not quite vertical prior to deformation. These flaws can impact the interpretations from the method, but the size of the impact depends on the original dike strike, dike dip, and the paleomagnetic reference direction. Our experiments show the worst behavior occurs for dikes that are approximately perpendicular to the reference declination. In addition, the results for dipping dikes of all initial strikes become increasingly distorted as the reference direction's inclination increases. Using data from two field areas in Cyprus and northern Iceland, we compare the application of net tectonic rotation to alternative techniques—relative comparisons and spatial regressions—that do not require an assumption of initially vertical dikes. We conclude with a list of questions that workers should answer prior to future application of net tectonic rotation to dikes.

中文翻译：

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堤防净构造旋转的问题及替代方法的建议

净构造旋转法是古磁倾斜校正的替代方法。该方法最初是针对具有古地理学指示的沉积岩和熔岩开发的，但后来通过假定堤防垂直侵入而适用于堤防。我们进行了多个数值实验，这些实验证明了如果堤坝变形前不是很垂直，那么在净构造旋转方法中会出现几何缺陷。这些缺陷可能会影响方法的解释，但是影响的大小取决于原始堤坝走向，堤坝倾角和古磁参考方向。我们的实验表明，与基准磁偏角大致垂直的堤防会发生最坏的行为。此外，当参考方向的倾斜度增加时，所有初始打击的堤防浸入结果变得越来越失真。使用塞浦路斯和冰岛北部两个野外地区的数据，我们将净构造旋转与其他技术（相对比较和空间回归）的应用进行了比较，这些技术不需要假设初始垂直堤防。我们在总结问题时总结了工人在将净构造旋转应用于堤防之前应回答的问题。