Final answer:
As minerals like copper, gold, and aluminum become scarce, mining at the current rate is unsustainable because the earth's finite resources have been significantly depleted, posing challenges to industries and economies.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a mineral becomes scarce, the impact on industries and economies can be significant. Mining of materials such as copper, gold, and aluminum cannot be sustained at the current pace because the most accessible and valuable deposits have already been exploited. Although only a fraction of the attainable resources has been consumed so far, the notion of continuing these activities for tens of thousands of years is unrealistic due to the finite nature of these mineral deposits.