Maptek Hall of Fame

2024 Hall of Fame

John Combs

Senior Mine Engineer,
Freeport McMoRan

John graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Mining Engineering before starting his career at the LaFarge underground dolomite mine in Joliet, Illinois. Moving to Arizona, he spent 15 years with Freeport McMoRan Inc in various roles, including mine reclamation.

After completing a Master of Science from the University of Arizona in Mining and Geological Engineering, John joined the geomechanical group at the Sierrita Mine in 2012 and took the lead in 2014. He has been using Maptek products since 2013, finding the software invaluable for various applications. The Maptek Inter-Ramp Compliance toolset has significantly aided in design conformance and slope optimisation processes.

John later moved to Oro Valley, working initially with the Tenke mine group before transitioning to his current Corporate Geomechanics role. This group supports all site geomechanics teams, focusing on geomechanical drill and blast support and slope optimisation using LiDAR and drone photogrammetry.