Clay diagenesis, overpressure and reservoir quality: an introduction

The interplay of overpressure and diagenesis is an important factor in developing reservoir quality and controlling the movement of pore-fluids and hydrocarbons within sedimentary basins. The first part of this introduction deals with petrographic features by which certain highly overpressured reservoirs can be recognised. The second part considers the 20 papers, presented at the 1993 Cambridge Conference, published in this special issue of Clay Minerals and how they fit into the broader context of the subject.