Five gabbros and three peridotites from hole 334 were examined for postmagmatic deformational changes and metamorphic recrystallization. The condition of the gabbros ranges from unaltered, to slightly altered and deformed, to highly deformed and metamorphosed, the latter type being confined to narrow shear zones. Petrofabric studies and electron microprobe analyses of mineral phases of a foliated metagabbronorite from such a shear zone suggest the following post-magmatic history: (1) strong plastic deformation and anhydrous synkinematic recrystallization of igneous plagioclase (An90−85), clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene to the granulite facies mineral assemblage of strongly zoned plagioclase (An80−65), diopside, and orthopyroxene; relics of the igneous minerals survived as highly strained porphyroclasts; (2) synkinematic growth of amphibole consisting of a patchy intergrowth of tremolite and actinolitic hornblende; the amphibole fabric is compatible with strain estimates by the centre-point method; (3) mainly static hydrous alteration — growth of (?) vermiculite and sericitization.Penetrative deformation probably initiated shortly after intrusion and took place during cooling of the rocks from approximately 800 °C to 300 °C. The bulk of the strain in the metagabbronorite of the shear zone predates the serpentinization of the peridotites. Many textural and fabric features in alpine-type gabbro–peridotite complexes that are ascribed to regional metamorphism and deformation during orogenic emplacement may originate shortly after intrusion near or at an accreting plate margin.