Causes and mechanisms of coastal-lithosome preservation are explored using the Shoreface Translational Model to derive morphokinematic reconstructions of transgressive sedimenation governed by bar- rier rollover processes. A range of idealised environmental contexts were simulated to identify the main causes of stratal preservation. The preservation occurs within two broad categories of experimental conditions. The first relates to transgressions evolving under relatively constant conditions, in which stratal preservation occurs only if the littoral cell experiences positive net sediment supply. The resulting deposits have poorly differentiated inter- nal architectures that tend to extend continuously with uniform thickness upslope across plain regions of the shelf. Internal facies involve a more tabular geometry with higher rates of sea-level rise, but are less tabular on lower shelf slopes and with reduced sediment supply. The second category relates to thicker but more localised stratal preservation, that occurs as an adaptive morphokinematic response to pertubations in the evolution of transgres- sive deposits resulting from: (1) variations in the ratio of sediment supply to accommodation generation due to sea-level rise; (2) inflexions in the antecedent topography; and (3) changes in geometry of the littoral sediment body. Each type of perturbation can cause a range of preserved stratal geometries. Simplified methods are given for relating the geometry of preserved deposits to rates of sea-level rise and sediment supply over different shelf slopes, and for identifying the position of the shoreline at specific times.