The unique ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to provide spatial and temporal information from optically opaque systems, in three dimensions, make it an ideal tool to study the internal motion of rapid granular flows. This paper will focus on the use of ultra-fast velocity compensated MRI measurements to study particle velocity and density distributions in a granular gas, produced by vibrating vertically a bed of mustard seeds at 40 Hz. Specifically, a velocity compensated, double spin-echo, triggered, one-dimensional MRI profiling pulse sequence was developed. This gives an MRI temporal resolution of approximately 2 ins and also minimises MRI velocity artefacts. 12 phase measurements per vibration cycle were used. The data can be used to extract values of the mustard seed average velocity and velocity propagators (probability distributions functions) as a function of the phase of the vibration cycle and vertical height within the cell. The data show strong transient effects during the impact phase of the vibration. A detailed discussion of the temporal passage of the individual phase resolved, height resolved velocity distributions, along with seed velocity propagators at a fix height from the vibrating base is presented. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.