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From Lower Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous, several intraplate compression events affected discrete sectorsof Central Patagonia, under a general context of crustal extension associated with Gondwana breakup.This was demonstrated by means of 2D and 3D seismic and borehole data, which show partial inversionof Lower and Middle Jurassic extensional structures of the Chubut and Canadón ? Asfalto basins, duringthe earliest stages of breakup. A comparison with surrounding areas in Patagonia, where similar Jurassicintraplate compression was described, allowed the discrimination of three discrete pulses of subtlecompression (C1: ∼188?185 Ma; C2: ∼170?163; C3: ∼157?136? Ma). Interestingly, episodic intraplatecompressional events are closely followed by high flux magmatic events linked to the westward expansionof the Karoo-Ferrar thermal anomaly, which impacted on the lithosphere of southwest Gondwanain Lower Jurassic. In addition, we determined the approximate direction of the main compressive strain(1) compatible with other Jurassic intraplate belts of South America. These observations led us to proposea linkage between a thermo mechanically weakened continental crust due to LIPs activity, changesin plate motions and ridge-push forces generated by the opening of the Weddell Sea, in order to explainintraplate shortening, interrupted while Karoo LIPs magmatic invigoration took place.