I've never come across a published study which attempts a quantitative survey of how often such invalidations occur. Does anyone know of any publications which provide such a review of early palaeomagnetic studies and their reproducibility -- or lack thereof?
Doell, R. R. and Cox, A. (1967). Analysis of palaeomagnetic data. In Collinson, D. W., Creer, K. M. and Runcorn, S. K., editors, Methods in Palaeomagnetism, number 3 in Developments in Solid Earth Geophysics, pages 340–346. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Kennett, J. P., & Watkins, N. D. (1974). Late Miocene—Early Pliocene paleomagnetic stratigraphy, paleoclimatology, and biostratigraphy in New Zealand. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 85(9), 1385-1398.
Kent, J. T., Briden, J. C., & Mardia, K. V. (1983). Linear and planar structure in ordered multivariate data as applied to progressive demagnetization of palaeomagnetic remanence. Geophysical Journal International, 75(3), 593-621.
Kirschvink, J. L. (1980). The least-squares line and plane and the analysis of palaeomagnetic data. Geophysical Journal International, 62(3), 699-718.
McFadden, P. L., & McElhinny, M. W. (1988). The combined analysis of remagnetization circles and direct observations in palaeomagnetism. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 87(1), 161-172.
Turner, G. M., Roberts, A. P., Laj, C., Kissel, C., Mazaud, A., Guitton, S., & Christoffel, D. A. (1989). New paleomagnetic results from Blind River: Revised magnetostratigraphy and tectonic rotation of the Marlborough region, South Island, New Zealand. New Zealand journal of geology and geophysics, 32(2), 191-196.