microwave heating (24 and 30 GHz) (MWH) and conventional heating (CH). A gyrotron system is used for MWH and electric furnaces for CH. The samples are prepared by sintering of ultrafine powder mixtures at 1000-1300°C (MWH) and 1700°C (CH). Mercury porometry is used to determine the mean pore size and specific surface area of the samples. The Barus-Bechgold method is employed to find the maximum pore contraction. A quantitative microscopic analysis of the samples is carried out. The content of solid solution is determined using x-ray analysis. The volume and local shrinkage is calculated. Relationships between the local and volume shrinkage, pore structure parameters, and amounts of solid solutions for different heating conditions are shown. The results reveal different diffusion processes in sintering of powder systems with complete miscibility of components under MWH and CH.The faster compaction of monophase and multiphase powder bodies when sintered under microwave heating (MWH) is attributed by many researchers to more intensive mass transfer. Interdiffusion proceeds in multiphase powder bodies along with compaction. It is assumed that diffusion proceeds faster in microwave heating not only because of temperature but also because of the microwave field as such, i.e., its nonthermal effect on the mass transfer during sintering [1]. It is reported, for example, in [2] that the activation energy of oxygen diffusion in alumina decreases by 40% in MWH. The nonthermal effect of the microwave field on the mass transfer in ion crystals has been confirmed by theory and experiment [3].