Abstract. We present a covalent potential model of tetrahedrally coordinated SiO2. The interactions include covalent effects in the form of a Si-O bond-stretching potential, O -Si-O and Si -O -Si angle-bending potentials, and oxygen-oxygen repulsion. Calculated equations of state of c~-quartz and coesite agree well with experiment (calculated densities within 1 percent of experiment up to 6 GPa). The calculated c~-quartz-coesite transition pressure agrees with the experimental value of ~2 GPa. Furthermore, the compression mechanisms predicted by the model (i.e. pressure induced changes in Si-O bond lengths and O-Si-O and Si-O-Si angles) are accurate.