Robert,
Your remarks presume that olivine must be present over 100% of the surface before you would appreciate its significance.
The problem is that olivine is not going show up everywhere on Mars. Buts its distrubution all over the surface of Mars, clearly suggests that these areas have been bone dry for eons. The presence of surface olivine on Mars is far more extensive than anything we know of here on earth.
I realize this information contradicts your long held paradigm. But regardess of how you want to spin it, the planetary science community, of which neither you, nor Barry are a part, pretty much accepts the implications the presence of olivine on the martian surface presents. You can go on living in your dream world that its unimportant, but that's your loss.
Donald
Space/Science » in reply to Yes, exactly.
No. exactly