The morphology and growth kinetics of the discontinuous precipitation and dissolution reactions in supersaturated Mg-Al solid solutions containing 7.3, 9.1 and 10.9 at % Al have been investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray measurements. The volume fraction of regions transformed by the discontinuous precipitation reaction, the reaction front velocity, the interlamellar spacing and the average composition of the solute-depleted lamellae were determined as a function of the temperature. For the first time, the kinetics of the discontinuous dissolution reaction has been studied in the Mg-Al system. It has been shown that the transport of the solute atoms during both reactions is governed by grain boundary diffusion.