Ancient impact on Mars

Have you read my prediction regarding a Martian impact? How long have they been discussing a major impact, anyway?

http://hypography.com/forums/earth-s...tml#post198641

The link I provided was just put up today, I read your post and I am quite sure a chunk of rack as large as Olympus Mons wouldn't hold together after impact of any kind. No way to lower it slow enough for the energy released on impact not cause to at least break completely apart. Olympus Mons is a volcano as is several other calderas on Mars.

I think you meant to say "chunk of rock." If so, I am not talking about a rock, but an asteroid which would be extremely porous.

PSR Discoveries:Hot Idea: Asteroids' low densities

The basin in my view, however, would have been caused by melted water ice from the asteroid and not by the heat of impact alone.

With respect, have you read your own prediction regarding a Martian impact? It bears no relationship in scale, location, or direction to the hypothetical impact discussed in this thread's opening link.
Even a cursory understanding of materials science and bolide characteristics would demonstrate the impossibility of an impacting asteroid retaining even some of its coherence. Let's keep discussion of such unfounded ideas on the Urantia Book thread where they belong and leave this thread for realisitic discussion of this interesting major hypothetical impact.

With respect, *cough* yes. I (proof)read each of my posts many times before submitting them. Read it again and notice, no editing! I'm quite proud of it.

Toward the topic, I was only addressing the main question which is simply, "Why the dual characteristic of Mars' surface?" In my previous posts, I simply wanted to point out that the prediction I made describes a low density asteroid spiraling inward slowly, almost like a moon, so that the angle of impact is extreme enough to carve the Valles Marineris while bouncing gently in the middle, then breaking up. The second bounce would have to be where Olympus Mons, which is not a verified volcano, and its three fragmented siblings currently reside. Note that asteroids are made of ice and dust/pepples and would not create an impact such as that which you and they conceive.

PSR Discoveries:Hot Idea: Asteroids' low densities

The two hypotheses are completely unrelated of course, except that in the OP, the "bolide" basin is created by a violent impact that melts/erradicates a lot of material while in my interpretation, the basin was created by melted water ice flowing and settling into the area. The reason there's no observable ice in the basin these days is that daylight melted and evaporated it little by little, forming Mars' pipsqueak atmosphere, oxidizing its red surface, and eventually forming the polar ice caps.

The ice in the poles should be stratified with dust from storms. The basin should contain a different kind of dust as well as earth-like mineral and biological deposits. It's a legitimate and testable hypothesis.