During vertical Bridgman growth of an alloy crystal, local accumulation of solute at the interface center due to buoyancy often causes formation of a deep depression or pit and accelerates morphological instability. Through visualization of the freezing interface during directional solidification of succinonitrile containing ethanol on a rotating table, it was shown that rotation about the ampoule axis might reverse solute distribution and remove pit formation. Simulation was also conducted to explain the observations. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.