Early Jurassic silicic volcanic rocks of the Chon Aike Province (V1: 187 – 182 Ma) are 30 recognised from many localities in the southern Antarctic Peninsula and northeast Patagonia and are 31 essentially coeval with the extensive Karoo (182 Ma) and Ferrar (183 Ma) large igneous provinces of 32 pre-breakup Gondwana. Until recently, plutonic rocks of this age were considered either rare or 33 absent from the Antarctic Peninsula batholith, which was thought to have been mainly constructed 34 during the Middle Jurassic and the mid-Cretaceous. New U-Pb zircon geochronology from the 35 Antarctic Peninsula and recently published U-Pb ages from elsewhere on the Peninsula and 36 Patagonia are used to demonstrate the more widespread nature of Early Jurassic plutonism. Eight 37 samples are dated here from the central and southern Antarctic Peninsula. They are all moderately 38 to strongly foliated granitoids (tonalite, granite, granodiorite) and locally represent the crystalline 39 basement. They yield ages in the range 188 – 181 Ma, and overlap with published ages of 185 – 180 40 Ma from granitoids from elsewhere on the Antarctic Peninsula and from the Subcordilleran plutonic 41 belt of Patagonia (185 – 181 Ma). Whilst Early Jurassic plutons of the Subcordilleran plutonic belt of 42 Patagonia are directly related to subduction processes along the proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana, 43 coeval volcanic rocks of the Chon Aike Province are interpreted to be directly associated with 44 extension and plume activity during the initial stages of Gondwana break-up. This indicates that 45 subduction was ongoing when Chon Aike Province volcanism started. The Early Jurassic plutonism on 46 the Antarctic Peninsula is transitional between subduction-related and break-up related 47 magamatism.