这是一套由NHK于1987年播出的大型科教类纪录片，全片共有12集，讲述了地球的诞生直到人类今天的故事。
　　在1995年左右由广东电视台引进译制，并以《地球的奥秘》为题播出。
　　这套纪录片中让人印象最深刻的莫过于它的主题曲（http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTcxMDgzNTA0.html），这首歌是由日本注明作曲家吉川洋一郎所作，包括日后由NFB、NHK、Discovery和科学频道在2005年联合制作的《地球大纪行2》主题曲也是出自他手。
　　地球大纪行（ちきゅうだいきこう）は、1987年にNHKの総合テレビで放送された全12回の连続科学番组である。NHK特集の大型?シリーズ番组の1つとして、月1回の间隔で放送された。第29回科学技术映画祭 科学技术庁长官赏を受赏。
　　To the average person, the Earth seems eternal and, in the big picture at least, unchanging -- a miraculously hospitable home supporting a rich variety of life while shielding us from the harsh realities of outer space, such as solar radiation. In point of fact, however, the Earth has been subject to a variety of cataclysmic events throughout its history: struck by meteors, frozen in ice ages, scarred by massive volcanic eruptions. This superb 12-program series takes you to the four corners of the world to provide a fascinating "living textbook" of the history of the Earth.
　　1. In the Beginning --The Third Planet (60 min.)
　　2. The Great Rift
　　3. Australia, the Ancient Sea
　　4. The Mystery of the Atmosphere Sealed up in Curiously Shaped Rock
　　5. The Birth of Huge Mountain Ranges
　　6. The Great Forest
　　7. The Valley of the Dinosaurs
　　8. The Coming of the Ice Ages
　　9. The Sahara -- The Great Migration
　　10. From Lava Fields to Cultivated Land
　　11. The Atmosphere -- The Earth's Security Blanket
　　12. The Fragile Earth