Abstract. The effect of pressure on the heat capacity, Cv, and entropy, S, of MgO was determined using vibrational spectroscopy to over 200 kbar by the measurement of several vibronic bands in the fluorescence of Cr 3+ doped into the MgO lattice. The results for Cv and S demonstrate that the high pressure thermodynamic properties of MgO can be accurately estimated using a Debye model even at room temperature.Using the pressure dependence of Cv and previously measured thermodynamic quantities, the thermal expansion coefficient, ~, at room temperature was then calculated from ~ = K~ (8 T/~P)s C.,/TVKT, which yields a constant value of (~lnc(~ln V)T --6.5 (5) for MgO to 10% compression, in agreement with lattice dynamical calculations. These results imply that c~ for MgO at the bottom of the lower mantle decreases by an order of magnitude.