  We report on the structural properties of ScAlMgO4 studied under
quasi-hydrostatic pressure using synchrotron high-pressure x-ray diffraction up
to 40 GPa. We also report on single-crystal studies of ScAlMgO4 performed at
300 K and 100 K. We found that the low-pressure phase remains stable up to 24
GPa. At 28 GPa, we detected a reversible phase transformation. The
high-pressure phase is assigned to a monoclinic distortion of the low-pressure
phase. No additional phase transition is observed up to 40 GPa. In addition,
the equation of state, compressibility tensor, and thermal expansion
coefficients of ScAlMgO4 are determined. The bulk modulus of ScAlMgO4 is found
to be 143(8) GPa, with a strong compressibility anisotropy. For the trigonal
low-pressure phase, the compressibility along the c-axis is twice than
perpendicular one. A perfect lattice match with ZnO is retained under pressure
in the pressure range of stability of wurtzite ZnO.
