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The pressure-void ratio relationship of many structured soils in the virgin compression range is highly nonlinear. The initial part of the compression curve is characterized by the breakdown of structures, whereas the behavior in the postdestructuration range is influenced by soil mineralogy. A robust pressure-void ratio relationship should include parameters that account for the distinct mechanisms that control the behavior in the destructuration and postdestructuration ranges. A new pressure-void ratio relationship based on a modified secant compression index is proposed. It is shown that the variation of the proposed secant compression index with a logarithm of pressure can be approximated by a hyperbolic form with two parameters. The new relationship has been verified in a wide range of naturally structured soils. Parametric studies conducted show that one parameter controls the compression behavior within the stress range where the destructuration is dominant, and the other parameter controls the behavior beyond it where the structure is destroyed and mineralogy controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]