The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in experimentaloptical glasses obtained from the East Sayan mountain quartzites has beenstudied. For comparison a powder sample of cristobalite that formed duringthe beneficiation process of quartzite was also investigated by EPR. Thecomplex EPR spectra of fast-electron-irradiated glass andcristobalite were treated by computer simulations to determine the types of
centers and their principal gvalues. In glasses the well-known paramagnetic centers
,
,
have been observed. In particular, thecenter
previously characterized as stableonly below
was observed as a stable variantat room temperature. In cristobalite the paramagnetic defects similar to the
,
,
centers with slightly differentg values have been observed. From the observation of analogous
centers it was inferred that local structuresof glass and
-cristobalite aresimilar.