The effect of reduction of pressure on the shapes of the TG, DTG and DTA curves and the mass-spectra of hydroxide and carbonate phases was investigated in some typical Hungarian red muds. The pressure change caused different decomposition rates of the phases and resulted in better separation of the overlapping thermal curves; this led to advantages as regards phase analysis. For phase analysis the red muds were extracted with water, and the extracts and solid residues were identified by IR- and X-ray methods.