The oxidation of molten aluminum containing magnesium induces tremendous metal losses and inclusion formation during industrial melting operations. In this paper, the high temperature oxidation of molten Al-Mg alloys has been studied with a thermogravimetric device. The results show that the degree of oxidation increases with increasing the magnesium content, treating temperature and time. The oxidation rate is smooth at the initial stage but accelerates rapidly when the oxide transforms to crystalline MgO and MgAI_2O_4 from amorphous form after an incubation period. In order to prevent the tremendous metal losses, it is suggested that the operational interval has to be reduced to less than 2 hours when the temperature of molten Al-Mg alloy exceeds 750℃.