backfill, slag heaps
Explanation:
Really, more context is necessary. What kind of mine (underground, open pit?). What is the history of the mine, its methods, and above all its method of disposal of overburden or waste?
Assuming it is an open pit mine there are several possibilities, I feel. Unless you are lucky enough to have diamonds or whatever sitting on the surface waiting to be picked up, you will have to dig down to the diamond layer. The earth removed from above that layer has to be put somewhere, if only temporarily, and it might be placed as slag heaps, as embankments, or spread in thin layers over a large area. Once the diamonds in the pit had been depleted to the minimum economic level, it is possible - but probably highly unlikely, especially in third-world countries - that the excavated material was put back in the hole as backfill. The economic climate having changed, and diamonds (or whatever) having gained in value, it might have again become economical to mine the diamond-poor ground abandoned as uneconomic previously. To get to it, of course, they would have to re-excavate the backfill, processing it in the process because, there too, there may be ore (or whatever) that is now worth extracting.
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Note added at 8 hrs (2011-09-03 14:22:02 GMT)
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Re. the requirement, or not, to translate ancien, to my way of thinking, no.
The 'back' of "backfill" sort of fulfils that function. After all, backfill fills a hole created previously.
As for "slag heaps", the same applies, especially if, as I have understood the context at least, they have only recently started reworking the site: it would be unlikely that they should suddenly decide to rework what they mined only last week.
Of course it may be clear in the text that there are nouveaux remblais as well, though the fact that they reworked the "old" ones for two years (at least) before working 100% freshly excavated material suggests not, to me.
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Note added at 8 hrs (2011-09-03 14:24:12 GMT)
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That said, if it were to be translated, I'd probably chose "previous".
| Bourth (X)
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