The Earthquake Machine (EML), a mechanical model of stick-slip fault systems, can increase student engagement and facilitate opportunities to participate in the scientific process. This article introduces the EML model and an activity that challenges ninth-grade students' misconceptions about earthquakes. The activity emphasizes the role of models as part of the scientific enterprise and the concept of scientific inquiry as a continuing, creative process of explaining natural phenomena. (Contains 4 figures and 4 online resources.)