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Many surfaces eroded by ion-sputtering have been observed to develop morphologies which are either periodic, or rough and non-periodic. We have introduced a discrete stochastic model that allows to interpret these experimental observations within a unified framework. A simple periodic pattern characterizes the initial stages of the surface evolution, whereas the later time regime is consistent with self-affine scaling. The continuum equation describing the surface height is a noisy version of the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation.