Among the options provided, the most suitable event that can be used as a benchmark to mark the beginning or ending of specific periods of time is a species extinction event.
Species extinction events, particularly the major mass extinction events (such as the Permian-Triassic extinction or the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction), are significant geological and biological events that have led to the reorganization of life on Earth and are often used to delineate different geological periods in the geologic time scale.
The other options—supervolcano eruptions, tectonic plate movements, and solar system shifts—can have significant impact but do not serve as standardized benchmarks in the same way that extinction events do within the context of geological time periods.
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