PetroStrat will attend and present at Reservoir Characterization 2025, held 3 to 4 December 2025 at the Clarion Hotel Stavanger, Norway. John Cater (Principal Geologist) will be presenting on some cutting-edge research on pore-lining chlorite and its function for preserving reservoir quality, particularly in deeply buried reservoirs.
PetroStrat Presentation: Pore-lining chlorite and its function for preserving reservoir quality
Presentation title: Higher Permeability in Deeply Buried Reservoirs of the Cook, Garn, & Agat Formations
Authors: John Cater, Caroline Lowrey
Date: 3rd December 2025
Time: 15.05
Exclusive summary by John Cater
The talk incorporates the findings from three significant PetroStrat multi-client investigations: the Cook, Garn, and Agat studies. These unique extended studies examine the contentious issue of the origins of pore-lining chlorite and its function for preserving reservoir quality despite deep burial. This is a notably challenging subject that remains puzzling to both academic and industrial specialists. Every new chlorite dataset has revealed further complexities that challenge our ability to forecast optimal drill site placement. However, our ongoing research continues to further our understanding of this complex topic. This summary presentation will showcase preliminary findings from new PetroStrat multi-client research, set for completion in 2026.
Short bio of the PetroStrat authors
John Cater (Presenting)
John worked as Field Director on geological outcrop surveys across the Middle East and Indo-Pakistan until 2000. Over the last 25 years, he has focused on deep-marine and coastal reservoir geology, from core description to image log analysis, diagenesis, provenance characterisation and source-to-sink systems. He is currently working on core and outcrop analogue studies that address reservoir challenges worldwide.
John worked as Field Director on geological outcrop surveys across the Middle East and Indo-Pakistan until 2000. Over the last 25 years, he has focused on deep-marine and coastal reservoir geology, from core description to image log analysis, diagenesis, provenance characterisation and source-to-sink systems. He is currently working on core and outcrop analogue studies that address reservoir challenges worldwide.
Caroline Lowrey
Caroline Lowrey (Principal Geologist), working in a remote capacity based out of Oslo, Norway. Her core expertise is in reservoir geology, with particular experience in the assessment of reservoir quality, including petrographic analyses, primarily within the UKCS and NCS. By drawing on extensive knowledge and wide career experience, she pulls together data from the full range of geoscience datasets to produce a comprehensive “full picture”.
Advancing Reservoir Understanding Through Integrated Geoscience
PetroStrat’s Reservoir Geology Department provides an integrated suite of analytical and interpretive services designed to improve understanding of reservoir quality, distribution, and performance. Our Quantitative Reservoir Characterisation workflows combine sedimentological, petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical data to define the key controls on reservoir heterogeneity and diagenesis.
These approaches help clients:
- Assess porosity and permeability trends
- Quantify diagenetic alteration, including chlorite, quartz, and carbonate phases
- Integrate core, cuttings, and thin section data for predictive modelling
- Constrain depositional and burial histories that control reservoir performance
Explore our Reservoir Geology Services
PetroStrat Multi-Client Studies: Cook, Garn, and Agat Formations
Dr Cater’s presentation will highlight findings from three major PetroStrat multi-client reservoir geology studies:
• Cook Formation Study
• Garn Formation Study
• Agat Formation Study (in progress)
Together, these projects address one of the most debated topics in reservoir geology — the origins of pore-lining chlorite and its role in preserving reservoir quality during deep burial. While new datasets continue to reveal further complexities, they also advance the industry’s ability to interpret diagenetic patterns and refine predictions of optimal drill site placement.
This summary talk will present preliminary results from ongoing research, including new multi-client data due for completion in 2026.
Meet Us in Stavanger
We look forward to joining colleagues and partners in Stavanger to discuss the latest advances in reservoir characterisation and diagenetic research. To arrange a meeting with John Cater during the conference, please reach out via our contact form.
Everything you need to know about Reservoir Characterization 2025
Conference: Reservoir Characterization 2025
Theme: Unlocking Subsurface Secrets: Advancing Reservoir Characterization Together
Location: Stavanger, Norway
Venue: Clarion Hotel Stavanger
Date: 3 – 4 December 2025
