Final answer:
Minerals are labeled nonrenewable resources due to the prolonged period, often millions of years, it takes for them to form, making their rate of consumption far exceed the rate of replenishment by natural processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Minerals are considered nonrenewable resources because they are a natural resource that exists in fixed amounts and cannot be replenished at a rate that keeps pace with their consumption. The correct answer to why minerals are nonrenewable is D. they can take millions of years to form. It is their long formation process that makes them nonrenewable, as they are consumed much faster than nature can produce them. Other resources, like sunlight or wind, are renewable because they are replenished by natural processes as quickly as humans use them.