re: No contradiction between Haematite and Olivine
Nick,
I dunno, I suppose I'll wait for more Mars Odyssey findings and the Mars Express Orbiter data in December and January before "shooting off" more. But you must admit, Kirkland's IR work about TES and mini-TES show that it is not a very reliable or accurate instrument for determining Martian minerology.
Regarding your ice towers, (if they exist) -- if microbes can survive in them, they can also live in near-surface ice with a few microns of dust covering them. If the Odyssey data on the global distribution of water ice holds up, Martian life could potentially be everywhere.
BD