The parametric dependencies for superplastic flow in powder metallurgy (PM) magnesium alloys and composites were characterized so as to elucidate the deformation mechanism. The mechanism was proposed to be slip accommodated grain boundary sliding. However, the PM alloys and composites were strengthened at low temperatures below similar to 550K. This was different from the case in ingot metallurgy (IM) magnesium alloys, that behaved identically over a wide range of temperatures. The critical strain rate, below which the effect of intragranular particle is lost, was developed by considering the dislocation-particle interaction during slip accommodation process. It was suggested that the diffusional relaxation around the intragranular oxide particles was not completed during the slip accommodation process at low temperatures, and this caused the dislocation pile-up at the intragranular particles. II was expected that the dislocation pile-up at the intragranular particles would contribute to the strengthening at low temperatures in PM alloys and PM composites. (C) 2001 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Lid. All rights reserved.