We have compared clones of Syrian hamster cells selected for the first amplification of the CAD gene with clones selected for further amplification. The large domain amplified initially was not reamplified as an intact unit. Instead, subregions were reamplified preferentially, and parts of the initial array were often lost. These events reduced the average amount of coamplified DNA accompanying each copy of the selected gene. The degree of amplification was small in the first step (about three extra copies of CAD per cell), but second-step amplifications to a high copy number (up to 60 extra copies per cell) occurred frequently. After several separate steps of amplification, highly condensed arrays that brought many CAD genes close together were formed. In striking contrast to the stability of these highly amplified arrays, the low-copy chromosomal arrays formed early were quite unstable and were often lost completely within 1 or 2 months of growth without selection. The results suggest that different mechanisms may be involved in the first step of amplification and in the later evolution of an already amplified array.