This looks like the compiler ignoring the interface that's available, or something.
[...@fkpc167 ~/MiscCode]$ cat slabtest.f90 module service implicit none contains subroutine Partition(N,x) integer,intent(in)::N real,dimension(3,N),intent(out)::x write(*,*)size(x,1),size(x,2) x=0 end subroutine Partition end module service program decom use service implicit none real,dimension(3,384)::x call Partition(64,x(:,321:64)) end program decom [...@fkpc167 ~/MiscCode]$ gfortran --verbose -o slabdecomp -fbounds-check -Wall slabtest.f90 Driving: gfortran -v -o slabdecomp -fbounds-check -Wall slabtest.f90 -lgfortranbegin -lgfortran -lm -shared-libgcc Using built-in specs. Target: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu Configured with: ../gcc-4.3.3/configure --disable-multilib --enable-languages=c,c++,fortran Thread model: posix gcc version 4.3.3 (GCC) COLLECT_GCC_OPTIONS='-v' '-o' 'slabdecomp' '-fbounds-check' '-Wall' '-shared-libgcc' '-mtune=generic' /usr/local/libexec/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/f951 slabtest.f90 -quiet -dumpbase slabtest.f90 -mtune=generic -auxbase slabtest -Wall -version -fbounds-check -fintrinsic-modules-path /usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/finclude -o /tmp/ccvJgRkc.s GNU F95 (GCC) version 4.3.3 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu) compiled by GNU C version 4.3.3, GMP version 4.2.2, MPFR version 2.3.1. GGC heuristics: --param ggc-min-expand=100 --param ggc-min-heapsize=131072 COLLECT_GCC_OPTIONS='-v' '-o' 'slabdecomp' '-fbounds-check' '-Wall' '-shared-libgcc' '-mtune=generic' as -V -Qy -o /tmp/ccMWihvf.o /tmp/ccvJgRkc.s GNU assembler version 2.18.0 (x86_64-linux-gnu) using BFD version (GNU Binutils for Ubuntu) 2.18.0.20080103 COMPILER_PATH=/usr/local/libexec/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/:/usr/local/libexec/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/:/usr/local/libexec/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/:/usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/:/usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/ LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/:/usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/../../../../lib64/:/lib/../lib64/:/usr/lib/../lib64/:/usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/../../../:/lib/:/usr/lib/ COLLECT_GCC_OPTIONS='-v' '-o' 'slabdecomp' '-fbounds-check' '-Wall' '-shared-libgcc' '-mtune=generic' /usr/local/libexec/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/collect2 --eh-frame-hdr -m elf_x86_64 -dynamic-linker /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 -o slabdecomp /usr/lib/../lib64/crt1.o /usr/lib/../lib64/crti.o /usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/crtbegin.o -L/usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3 -L/usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/../../../../lib64 -L/lib/../lib64 -L/usr/lib/../lib64 -L/usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/../../.. /tmp/ccMWihvf.o -lgfortranbegin -lgfortran -lm -lgcc_s -lgcc -lc -lgcc_s -lgcc /usr/local/lib/gcc/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/4.3.3/crtend.o /usr/lib/../lib64/crtn.o [...@fkpc167 ~/MiscCode]$ ./slabdecomp 3 64 This probably bombed at compile time, but certainly should have raised some sort of bounds violation. If the declaration of x in Partition is made automatic [(:,:)] then I get what I'd expect, an empty section: [...@fkpc167 ~/MiscCode]$ ./slabdecomp 3 0 -- Summary: Illegal empty array argument not detected at compile or runtime Product: gcc Version: 4.3.3 Status: UNCONFIRMED Severity: normal Priority: P3 Component: fortran AssignedTo: unassigned at gcc dot gnu dot org ReportedBy: terry at chem dot gu dot se GCC host triplet: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=39195