Answer:
The correct sentence structure for the sentence above is compound sentence (A).
Step-by-step explanation:
Compound sentences join two or more independent clauses with a coordinator such as for, and or but, or a semicolon. Independent clauses are clauses that can stand alone as a sentence. They do not depend on a main sentence to complete their meaning. In this case, the two clauses are the following ones: "Minerals are New Mexico's richest natural resource and "and the state is one of the U.S. leaders in output of uranium and potassium salts". They have been linked with the coordinator "and".