This particular make and model of wheel loader will, according to the manufacturers website, load up to 10 metric tons in one go. The sand and the gravel you see behind it were created by the glaciers and rivers eroding the bedrock over thousands of years. We have become very efficient when it comes to exploiting the earths resources, and all over the world we are depleting these resources at an alarming rate.
Wheel loader (1/20s @ f/11, 35mm equivalent, cropped, ISO 50)