I am a seismologist interested in exploring the evolution of plate tectonics through space and time. My research involves applying a diverse range of seismological analyses to map the structure and dynamics of the Earth’s crust and mantle, spanning a variety of tectonic environments: from terminal-stage subduction zones in the Eastern Mediterranean to deciphering the processes involved in continental breakup and plume-lithosphere interactions along the East African Rift. More recently, I have been investigating parts of central and southern Africa that retain the geological imprints of ancient tectonic processes, such as the Pan African orogeny, which unfolded early in Earth’s tectonic history, and today contain abundant critical mineral deposits such as copper. I also work on microseismicity analysis for geothermal projects to help characterise the local tectonics and geothermal reservoir.
Current CV: https://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CV_Rita_Kounoudis_2024.pdf
View Selected Publications
2023
Kounoudis, R., Bastow, I.D., Ebinger, C.J., Darbyshire, F., Ogden, C.S., Musila, M., Ugo, F., Ayele, A., Sullivan, G., Bendick, R. and Mariita, N., 2023. The development of rifting and magmatism in the multiply rifted Turkana Depression, East Africa: Evidence from surface-wave analysis of crustal and uppermost mantle structure. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 621, p.118386, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118386.
Boyce, A., Kounoudis, R., Bastow, I.D., Cottaar, S., Ebinger, C.J. and Ogden, C.S., 2023. Mantle wavespeed and discontinuity structure below East Africa: Implications for Cenozoic hotspot tectonism and the development of the Turkana Depression. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 24(8), p.e2022GC010775, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GC010775.
Ogden, C.S., Bastow, I.D., Ebinger, C., Ayele, A., Kounoudis, R., Musila, M., Bendick, R., Mariita, N., Kianji, G., Rooney, T.O. and Sullivan, G., 2023. The development of multiple phases of superposed rifting in the Turkana Depression, East Africa: evidence from receiver functions. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 609 p.118088., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118088.
Musila, M., Ebinger, C.J., Bastow, I.D., Sullivan, G., Oliva, S.J., Knappe, E., Perry, M., Kounoudis, R., Ogden, C.S., Bendick, R. and Mwangi, S., 2023. Active Deformation Constraints on the Nubia‐Somalia Plate Boundary Through Heterogenous Lithosphere of the Turkana Depression. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 24(9), p.e2023GC010982, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GC010982.
2021
Kounoudis, R., Bastow, I.D., Ebinger, C.J., Ogden, C.S., Ayele, A., Bendick, R., Mariita, N., Kianji, G., Wigham, G., Musila, M., and Kibret, B., 2021. Body‐Wave Tomographic Imaging of the Turkana Depression: Implications for Rift Development and Plume‐Lithosphere Interactions. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 22(8), p.e2021GC009782, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC009782.
Boyce, A., Bastow, I.D., Cottaar, S., Kounoudis, R., Guilloud De Courbeville, J., Caunt, E. and Desai, S., 2021. AFRP20: New P‐wavespeed model for the African mantle reveals two whole‐mantle plumes below East Africa and neoproterozoic modification of the Tanzania Craton. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 22(3), p.e2020GC009302, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GC009302.
2020
Kounoudis, R., Bastow, I.D., Ogden, C.S., Goes, S., Jenkins, J., Grant, B., and Braham, C., 2020. Seismic Tomographic Imaging of the Eastern Mediterranean Mantle: Implications for Terminal‐Stage Subduction, the Uplift of Anatolia, and the Development of the North Anatolian Fault. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 21(7), p.e2020GC009009, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GC009009.
2019
Venereau, C.M.A., Martin‐Short, R., Bastow, I.D., Allen, R.M., and Kounoudis, R., 2019. The Role of Variable Slab Dip in Driving Mantle Flow at the Eastern Edge of the Alaskan Subduction Margin: Insights from Shear‐ Wave Splitting. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 20(5), pp.2433-2448, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018gc008170.